My Dear Juliaett I hope you wil excuse me for not riting Sooner after geting your leter of the 13th which I reseived last thursday but come to think that was but yesterday wel yesterday I was very busey and also for two or three days before we have ben fixen up our tents for winter quarters and I think we have got very comfortable tents to live in now we put up four Shelter tents for the roof then got Some boards and built up the Sides and ends and have a good fire place and chimney

and have two beds inn a tent for four of us I like them very much beter than I did the large Sibley tents that we Stayed inn last winter my tent is warm as a house and I think much nicer
I had almost forgoten that to day was Christmas and I now wish you a mery Christmas how I wish I was home with you wel I Suppose you would like to know what I have ben doing this morning I went to the Slaughter yard to See if I could get a beefs head to eat but thare was no one butchering I then came back to camp and don my washing then made a door for my tent and by the time

that was don it was noon and I guess you cant guess what I had for my diner I had just one thin Slice of pork about three inches Square we got but one cracker for to day and I was So hungrey that eat mine for breakfast and Should of liked one or two more to put with it
Last evening was a very mery one inn camps all round here the boys got out and fired off their guns and oald anvels and hollowed round untill about ten oclock it made me think of Some of the Scirmishes that I have ben inn
I am glad that my box is on the road but I am afraid it wil be a long time before I get it as it is about all that

can be got through now is about quarter rations for the men dos Wards folks hear anything from Hiram yet it is time for them to hear from him if he is a prisinor at Richmond I have not had a leter from Bil Thomas for a long time neather have I heard from Marey I dont See why they dont rite oftener It has ben very coald here for four or five days and the ground is frosen quite hard ice is about two inshes thick onn the Small ponds but I have not Seen a Snowflake this winter
I wil now bid you good by and rite soon again
rite often to your husband

Charley

to Juliaett