From Alvy written to his sister Lizzie

"We have been living on the best the government has. we have been drawing plenty of our regular pork, beans, crackers coffee & sugar with occasionally extras of potatoes or rice onions or dry apples and vinegar. We get more coffee than we can make use of. we have at least five pounds of it ahead in our mess. it is not exactly pure but still it makes excellent coffee. I wish I had some way of getting some of it home. I hate to see it wasted as it is very dear now at home. but uncle sam pays for it,and his property is destroyed on all oaccasions."

From Samuel North written to his father

"If you would spread a sheet over a pole raised about six feet from the ground she would have some kind of an idea of the house I live in. We have been blessed this fall with the finest kind of weather. It is delightful. Cool enough to be pleasant & dry. Our camp is in a grove quite shady & cool. I have a bunk in our tent & some hay in coffee sacks making a delightful bed & as I have told we have plenty to eat of the best. We have been in this camp about 2 weeks. Have good water. Can go to the river & take a bath or go to the springs & drink Sulphur water if we like. The men in the companies have some duty to do."

From Samuel Potter to Cynthia