Fort Richardson, Virginia
January 4, 1862

My Dear Wife,

I will now take the pleasure of answering your kind letter that you wrote on the first for I got it tonight and was happy to hear from you as I ever am glad that you were thinking of me on New Years Day for I was thinking of you all day long. Let me know who they were that was so foolish as to get married in the morning to keep from fighting. If they were afraid they should fight, they never should have got married. Thank God that I made up my mind never to quarrel when I had the knot tied for if I thought that I should ever strike you or speak a cross word to you, I would have split my tongue so that I could not speak anything but Dutch. No pet, I won’t fight with you—but if they will give me a chance to have a crack at the rebels, I would like to fight.

Yes pet, it is most a year since we were married and you know that I made you a promise. You must forgive me for neglecting to fulfill it and I will now do it as soon as it is ossible. But I can’t do it till we are paid off again which will be about the middle of this month. You may not know what that promise was. Well, I will let you know. It is this. You know what I told you—that I was agoing to get married soon after I got home last spring. If you do, you know what it was. You know. You say that Rock Lyons is mean. Why so, pet? Has he had anything to say to you to hurt your feelings? If he has, he had better die before I get home or I will show him how to drill that rifle company of Salem. I will show him how to load and fire a gun for I am master of the art.

Tell Orlando that he does right in not enlisting for the hardships in a soldier’s life can’t be told by a pen. I am glad that you have got them daguerreotypes pet. I was not sick but I was tired for I had to walk five miles to get them taken and I was not strong enough to walk so far. I have been very sick since I left home. One time they thought I would not live through the day. I am now well, thank the Lord, and my prayer is that you may soon enjoy the same blessing. Bless my pet. Don’t feel bad when you look at them pictures for I had rather die than to have you shed one tear. I see that mother has written on a slip of this paper. She says that she is suffering with the cold. I am sorry for that and hope it is not for the want of wood. If it is, let me know. Good night pet. Yours until death, — Chet