Camp Fairfax Station Va June the 5th 1863

Camp Fairfax Station Va June the 5th 1863

Dear Friend

It is with pleasure that I take my pen in hand to reply to yours of the may 28th I was pleased to hear from you I did not know what was the reason that I did not get an answer to my last letter for I was under the impression that I had wrote to you last You wanted to know how I liked Soldering well now I like Soldering very well but then I am tired of this war and I do not like this thing of being tied down for three Successive years without having the privalege of a furloe but Soldering is a good School for those who never tried it when I Say soldiering I do not mean playing Soldier but it is easy to play it if I could talk to you I could tell you some great tales that has happened in the 2 years campaign and some laughable ones also but it is not worthile to mention them on paper but I look forward to the time when I can speak to you face to face I think it will be but eleven months till that day comes they say that we will get discharged on the 15th of next may: I would like very much to have a furloe to come home on some business I will be of age the 9th of this month ("be of age" = 21st birthday) there has some of our company has got furloes through McPherson they wrote or got somebody to intercede for them saying that they had been out so long and not been home yet and that they had become of age now and had some important business to tend to at home now I would like to know how the copperheads are getting along up there I suppose you are well surrouned with them tell me in you next who they are though I have a good idea who some of them are it would be my delight to be one to help to rid them I could do it with as good a grace as I could a Rebel they are not as honerable as a rebel soldier and they are more harm to us I suppose my friend Billy Wirts is one of them poisonous varmints I suppose this draft that is to come off will make some of them Scratch where it does not reach: I am afraid that Vicksburg is not going right the news is not altogether against us but you can see that there is something a little timorous about it: I must soon close or I will not have space I will enclose ten dollars in this letter and if that arrives safe let me know and I will send ten more

no more at present my Respects to all, answer soon

Yours Respectfully

Your Friend Samuel T. Cassatt