[Penciled in at top] [May 10, 1863]

          Camp Way Near  Fredricks Burgh
  May 12th 63
            Dear Sister
                               Yours with Alices was
received in due time I [was?] 
verey glad to hear from you I
tel you [Ann?] letters from home
are a great satisfaction to the
Soldier
	          You ask the question why
we did not fight you are a
ware long before this that we
have fought and you know
the result beter than I but I
think it is fare from a defeat
the troops are in good chear they
feel as well as ever they did
since I have bin in the Army
	        you said you [guest?] we
ware to fat to fight it is a
fact we ware fat but I think
we are in a fare way to
loos sum of it if they




keepe us on the go as they
have since we went to
[P.R.?] for that was a harder
tramp & since we broak
camp until we came to
our present Camp we ware
on the moove or at woork
most of the time & they
[kep?] eight days rations
in our knapsacks most
of the time
	    I thank you for your
kind offer but hope I Shall
knot [kneede?] aney thing
of the kinde
	  I am [well?] but this Camp
life is rather of a [hurde?] our
& a man may eat his
rations & not feel mutch
[life?] I must close hopeing
to hear from you soon
Miss E.A. Sanford    Peck




we lay thare over night then
ware mooved farther to
the right had a a nother [wet?]
night we ware out near the
[illegible in original] at three the next
morning we ware [routed?]
& soon on the march we first
thought further to the right
but we soon found we ware
stearing for the river when
we got thare we had to form
in line of batel to cover
the retreat but thare we
			                                               mey
ware disapointed for the ene^
did not show them selves whilst
we [lay?] thare but we ware
not the last to cros [illegible in original] crost
& [steurd?] down the river got to
our present Camp three or fore
miles from F last Friday
what the next moove will

is unknown to us thare is
all sortes of stories in Camp
                                       it
but we give but litel cred^
to them
                                                                             [l?]
	    I will send you sum [illegible in original]^
root rings we had sum spare
time threw the winter &
but litel to read & I the bois
made bushels of [Pipes?] & rings
& I with the rest tryed my
hand at it you may give
Aunt Ann one & [Elba?] one
some time if you please
I must close for I am pretey
tierd seting hear in my
tent on the ground it is
a harde way to right & you
                                     bling
must excuse this poor scrib^
I do not know when I can [send?]
this
from your Father with
strong regarde
Miss Alice. M. Peck  A.G. Peck