1862 November 19 Post Hospital

               Post Hospital Nov. 19

Dear Mother
                     I am still here and
do not know ho long I shall
stay here but will probably let you
know before I leave I received
2 letters from you since I wrote
last I wish I only had some of
those potatoes that lay out in that
storm though Mass folks are very
good as most every week, we
get some apples, potatoes, or onions
from there and they go bully
I tell you.  Quite a joke stealing
the dried apples in N.H.
I should like to be at home
Thanksgiving but must
postpone it.  You say that I
cant realize Marias loss as you
do every day when I think of home
her little, merry face comes up

[page 2]
as one of the merriest to welcome
me home and it does not
hardly seem possible I shall
never see her again.  I think
that the renewal of McClellan
means more than you take it
it means the downfall of
Richmond and I think
though I know nothing about
it, that he will go up the
James River again with that
force of 125000 men there
is a Norfolk & Suffolk and on
the peninsula. It looks as if
some thing was going to be
done I have seen two regts
on the march today and
as I am writing a large
pontoon train is going by
Tell Mary Frank Stedman took
a French from the parolled
camp at Annapolis and
went home.  Last week I

[page 3]
saw Dr Lyon of Charlestown
cousin of John Lyons and he
said he should tell Rice
to tell father that he had
seen me.  John A. Andrew
is on to Washington to see
about the boys in the paroled
camp and has received
permission to get a Mas
doctor to examine them and
all that are not fit to go
into the field again to discharge
There is no news of importance
here and we get nothing as
we are a set of prisoners
not allowed to go out
without it is to wash us for
water. Night before last
the doctors put a man in
the dead house for dead
in the morning somebody
went in and he asked
for a drink of water

[page 4]
but died soon from the
effects of the cold and his
[disease?] together. This place
reminds me of a pasture
in the country where a
farmer turns out his old
wornout broken down horses
to run till they die
Write soon and often
With much love from
Your aff son
             Wm Wallace

Mrs. C. Smith
Newton Lower Falls
              Mass.

William Wallace Smith
Co.. B., 22nd Massachusetts

MSS 15460