Feb 5th/62 Dear Sister: Winchester I received your letter this morning together with Mothers enclosed and I will answer both in one. We left our huts on yesterday and came to a house in W. I and nine others have the parlor as our room. The house has six rooms in it and a kitchen with a splendid cooking stove and cooking utensils. Two of the messes have cooks, but ours has not but may get one in a day or so. By the way what became of the cook you promised to send down? Several of our boys have been quite sick but are improving. John Lightner is still delirious but the Doctor thinks he will now recover. Roberts is quite sick and Watson Woods is in the country and have not heard from him in a week but when we last heard was getting better. There is a deep snow on the ground, about five inches and looks like snowing now. [Page 2] The army is in a hard fix just now. Gen. Jackson, Gen Meem, Maj. Kent and others have resigned; our old regiment is hard off, Col. Preston having died, Lieut. Col. Moore was promoted to Col., Maj. Kent to Lieut. Col. and Capt. Pendleton, the Capt of the nasty Smythe Blues, the nastiest little Squirt in the regiment, to the rank of Maj., on account of which Maj. Kent resigned. All the men liked him very much and wished him to be Col. So now the regiment is in command of Maj. Pendleton as Col. Moore was wounded in the battle of Manasses and is not fit for service. We are all enjoying ourselves hugely going to see the ladies &c. &c. You wish me to go see the prettiest girl in the town, the prettiest one and the belle is the daughter of a gambler; would you advise me to go see her or the richest one and the ugliest who is a Miss Logan. I wish to get my boots footed but have none of the needful at command. I have [Page 3] plenty loaned out but cannot get it, but when I do you wont catch me loaning again. If you have any to spare if you will send me some I will return it in a short time. I had determined never to write home for money but have one old copper, I cannot get even postage stamps but borrow. You must not think that I am extravagant as I have plenty but cannot get it. Either shoes or boots will do me but you need not have them very heavy as I do not expect to tramp soon but expect to go into the courting business now and to succeed I must have some dikes. I have still some of my old pride left you see. Good bye Ted