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Camp near Petersburg, Dec. 25, 1864 [?]*


Dear Mother,

Today is Christmas and A very dull one it is too. I did intend to go and hear Mr. Little
preach today but it was too cold out of doors for me to go, though he preached.

My dinner today was a good deal plainer than it was the Christmas I spent in Tenn.
[Tennessee]. We only had some rice boiled with a little fresh meat and a few
dumplin[g]s thrown in and all boiled together, rather a poor dinner don't you think so?
Mrs. Reed sent our brigade a few chickens and other things from Richmond cooked today
but not enough to do any good. I will tell you what our company got for 25 men. We got
half of a duck, 5 small biscuit[s], a little piece of bacon, a few stewed apples, and
[illegible] little apple pies and a few pickles, so you may guess [?] that after that was
divided among 25 men one man could [?] not get more than [?] scarcely a taste. We have
just drawn ours and eat it, they say we [?] will get more new year's day [?]. I hope so or
none at all. It has been pretty cold the last few days but it is not as cold as it was a day
[?] or so past. Neither Mr. Puliston [illegible] nor Lieut. Taylor have arrived [?] I have
about given Puliston up [?]. I heard last night that Sav. [Savannah] had been evacuated, I
hope Lieut. Taylor will come on now as I guess they have been keeping him at Sav. I
have not heard from you since your letter of the 4th. I wrote to you a few days ago and
sent it by hand. I have drawn a pair of shoes at last. Write often.

Your Affectionate Son
C. O. Bailey

Heard [?] that Sherman has Sav. I am afraid your [?] letters will be very irregular but
write often maybe they will come after a while.

*The contents of this letter indicate that it was written in December, 1864.


Transcribed by John Freund and Nicole J. Milano, University of Florida, 2009