New Convalescent Barracks Va
		Sunday March 29th 1863

    Dear Mother
		After waiting
patiently for three weeks I
have at last received a welcome 
letter from home (but I
must write planer or Father 
will be in my hair) and you
may be assured that I was
		you
glad to hear that ^ were all well
and hope this will find you as
it leaves me in good health
     There is no news from
the army but it is said that
preperations are being made
for an advance as soon as the
roads are sufficiently dried up
to allow of the passage of artillery
and supply trains. There is a

rumor in the paper to day
that Charleston is being
bombarded but we do not
place much confidence
in it but if it is so we shall
soon hear more about it
	The weather is quite cool
yet and we have to keep fire
all day in order to be comfortable
	We have just completed two
depots for the use of this camp
one of them is 26 ft wide by 100 ft
long and 12 ft high the other 30 ft
wide 75 ft long and 12 ft high, the
first is for the Quarter masters
department the other the Comissory
department, To give you some
idea of the work that has been 
done here this winter I will
give you a list of the buildings
which have been put up here
In the first place there are 50

     barracks 100 ft long by 20
wide and 10 1" high ¬_ one
barrack for teamsters 75 ft
long by 20 wide 10 high 3 dinning
rooms 150 ft long 26 ft wide 12 ft high
2 cook rooms 75 ft long 22 " 10  "   "
3 buildings for officers quarters 30 X 30
18      "         "        "           "        15 X 30
4 Hospitals 175 ft X 26
1 cook room for Hospitals 22 X 60
2 rooms for Knapsacks and blankets if invalid
soldiers in the Hospitals 16 X 24
1 stable 240 X 26 8 ft high
1     "     100 X  "   "  "   "
1 blacksmith shop 75 X 26 8 ft high
and the two Depots I have mentioned
so you see we have quite a vilage
of our own. We have got to build
a large house for officers quarters 39 X 40
with two wings 20 X 30 and 3 or 4 other
buildings connected with it, then we
are to build a chapel and 3 more

dining rooms to build like
those already furnished, and I
have heard that we are to build
a board fence round the whole
of said ground, so we shall
   here
be ^ some time yet if nothing happens
	There is no news
of importance so I will
close by requesting you to 
write soon and subscribing
myself your obedient son
		J.H. Wheeler
To Mrs
          Sarah Wheeler