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ShorehamAdison CoVtMiss Melissa Barton

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Plattsburgh baracksHeadquarters McComb RegtClinton CountyDec 15th 1861Dear Sister

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I now take the opportunity to write a few lines to let you know that I am well and enjoy my self as well as I expected I intended to go over and see you before I left but it snowed one day and made me one day behind my calculation.

We started the 27 of Nov with 45 men 43 accepted and 1 got a discharge and 3 come since so we are 45 yet Capt Weed and some others are back recruting We have a good deal of fun and and a plenty to eat at first we did not do enough to keep us in good health but now we have a plenty to do.

We got our cloths the 6th of this mo we got 2 coats 1 pr pants 1 pr socks 1 pr shoes 1 pr drawers 1 knit shirt - and one cap.

This is a pleasant place but very poor land it is dry sand scarcely good enough to grass over a few small pines and sweet fern and hucklebury bushes the barracks are about 1 mile south of the village and about 15 rods from the lake we can goe to meeting every sunday I was on guard last sunday so I could not go and we went down all that had uniforms yesterday so I had tramp enough with our drill so I thought I would write

There is about 600 men enlisted but they are not all here at a time I got a letter from Theodor last night I suppose he is well as he was on guard the day he wrote he says that J B Wright has resigned and they are left with but one commisioned officer he says he dont know where they

shall winter but thinks some will winter under ground Mr A C Farrs band is here I have not heard from home since I was there I have written 3 letters and this is the 4th it is hard work for me to write There is a prayer meeting in this building every night Our Cols name is Fairman he is a nice man and a good commander It takes 33 men for guard in the day time and 42 at night

I was at Crown Point Moriah and West Port before I left they were all well There is a good many that I want to write to but I hate to it is such hard work to write

I can not think of anymore write as soon and as much as you can

Yours with respectHiram H Barton

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[Drawing of camp]