General Hospital, Point of Rocks, Virginia
May 14th 1865
Dear Wife,
I am still at the hospital but I am well, thank God, and I hope that you enjoy the same blessing. We expect to go from here everyday but when we are to start, I can’t tell. Neither can I tell where we are to go to from here but this I do know, that I shall go to the regiment soon for I am to be kept with other veterans to be punished for my folly in reenlisting and I think that it serves me right. But they may want some of us after our time is out for it is my opinion that we are to have a war with Mexico and if they do, they can’t take me there for I am a volunteer and if they could, I would not go for I should desert from the army.
I have done all that I was sworn in for—that is, to serve the country through this war, and I won’t go into any other. How I would like to be at home now for I am so tired of this part of the world and I want to see home and my pet once more. But if they keep me my time out, I shan’t see home till that time for I won’t see Connecticut again until I am free from the army again.
Give my respects to Wanton [Hoxie] and to Mary and tell Want[on] that I say he must take good care of my pet. I want to write to Want[on] but I can’t for when I try to write, my head aches and I have the headache very bad so I think that I shall close this up. I won’t try to write any of the news for if I should, I could write enough to fill a newspaper and then could not give you half of it and could not tell a word of truth either for there is all kinds of stories told.
Give my love to Mother and the children and tell them I would like to see them all. I have not got a word from you for three weeks and I feel worried about my pet. But when we go from here, I don’t know where we are to go to. I will now close with my love to my pet.
Good night my pet, from your affectionate husband, — Chester A. Chapman
Spared & Shared 20 