Letter January 24th, 1864
Jan. 24, 1864
Seder Mountain, Virginia
Dear wife Ett,
I have just written a letter to mother in answer to one that I got from her Friday. Today is Sunday and as fine and warm a day as we have there in May. It has been dry and warm for a week past but today the wind blows so fresh and warm up here on the mountain that it makes me think of the days that we have walked and talked together. It brings to my mind the scenes and joys of home and oh how I long to be there to press the hand and lips of my own dear wife and child once more. Today what I would give to be there a free man once more. Words cannot tell but you own warm heart can tell. Yes, there is one that can guess how much I feel today. When the tear drop blinds my eye and drops upon the paper, dearest one enough of this, it is not the part of a soldier to shed a tear so I will leave this subject and tell you how well I live here. I found everything I wanted in the box and it was all very nice too. I was eating my supper with the Capt. and left when an orderly came to our door and said there was a box up to the sutlers for me. I went right up and got it and while I ate my supper the left (that's Howard) opened it and we eat the apples that night, fried some of the fish for breakfast, they was good, everything was very nice. I sold some of the butter for 50 cts a pound. We live first rate, have good soft bread all the time, beef steak and potatoes, flour for gravy, butter, sugar, tea and coffee all the time, dried apples with which I put some of the currants. It makes them good I tell you. Mr. Howard had a box this week with a roasted chicken, a jar of gooseberry preserves, apples, fried cakes, butter and so on. I tell you we live here now. They buy their own living and all I do is go to the commissary after it, cook, get the wood and eat at which I do the most as you can guess when I tell you that my legs and arms are all of a third larger than when I left home. I only weigh 150 lbs, that is 24 pound more than I weighed when I left home. There I can't write any more this time for I must go and get dinner, so I will close by saying good bye for this time. Still hoping that the time will come when I can come and do what I can't write. Please write to me soon. Give my love to all that ask for me and I remain as ever
Your truly loving husband
W.W.vanAmber
To his wife Maryett