Manley Stacey Civil War Letters

Camp near B Station
Nov 21st 11 AM

Dear Father

When you send me a Newspaper, I wish you would send me a Lead Pencil, as I have used mine nearly up. When you get me another Diary, be sure & get one, like the one I now have, bound well, with a page for each day, The one I now have cost $1,50 I wish you would send it in time for the 1st of January. One of the Boys in our Co, wants you to get him one, the same time you do mine as we can get none here.

Our Brig Genl, is carrying things with a high hand, last night he ordered, 5 Days, Rations dealt out, which with the 6 Days we have on hand, would have made 11 Days, what do you think of that, for a load. Lusk, refused to take the Rations, & went to [Dir] Genl Hays, who [raved] around considerable & said his men, should not carry such Loads. We are on short Rations all the time, as we draw Field Rations, while we are in Camp, which makes a difference.

We have all we can do, to make both ends meet, Just at present we are having it very easy, in Camp as we have no Drilling to do, at all. The 1st, 2nd Grigades, of our Corps, have Conscripts, & have to Drill, nearly all the time. Well our turn, will come some of these days.

Things now look, in the Co, that Lieut Green will be Capt, and if Charlies Cookingham, does not come back a 1st Lient, will be promoted, from some other Co, into ours. The boys all expect this. When this is done I expect, Warren, will be 2nd Lient, & Catlin Orderly. This is the way things look to me now. If a Lieut is Promoted to our Co, from some other, I never will try to do anything. This is Col Macks plan of doing things. If this is not done, then I may get Orderly, nothing more. This may & may not be right. Nothing will be done, until the Co is filled up, at any rate.

I hope you will get the money I sent you & send me a good Watch. I think I made a good Profit, on the other.

This is a miserable kind of a day here, it is raining hard & has been all the morning. Well one thing we have to console us, when it rains, we do not think of advancing. They all talk of Meads, attacking Lee, in his Fortifications, on the Rapidan, but I do not think he will.

Sunday Morning 10 AM. It has cleared up again, after the Rain is now warm & comfortable. It is reported in Camp, this morning, that we march tomorrow, but I hardly think we will. It is the general opinion now in Camp, that our Brig will go home, before the 20th of next month. The Officers all think we shall go. I wish you would send me a few Stamps as I am entirely out.

Monday morning 23d. No move yet, not any sign of it. Send me some, 2 & 3 cent Stamps

Love to all

Manley

Hereafter we have got to keep on hand 5 Days Rations & 40 Rounds of Cartridges instead, of 8 & 60