February 19, 1863

From the 22d Georgia Regiment

	CAMP NEAR U. S. FORD, VA.,
		Feb 11, 1863.

   Dear Courier:--After considerable
delay, I will one time more avail my-
self of theopportunity of writing you
a brief letter.  The reason of so long a
delay, in writing, has been owing to
the absence of your correspondent.--
There is no news of importance to com-
municate at this time.  Everything is
quiet along the lines as far as we know.
   Our brigade is now camped near the
Rappahannock river, about thirteen 
miles above Fredericksburg.  The river
is the dividing line between ours and
the Yankee pickets.  The pickets are
in plain view of each other, but neither side
is allowed to fire on the other, or to
speak to each other.
   We have been at this place ever
since the 17th of January.  We may,
with propriety, state our purpose
here--as the enemy has been viewing
us all the time-- we have been digging
rifle pits and throwing up redoubts.--
To-day we have completed our work.--
We are now ready to give "fighting 
Joe" a warm reception whenever he
chooses to pay us a visit.  It is very
probable he would have been to see
us ere this, had it not been for the
recent snows and rain, which have , to
a considerable extent, impeded his pro-
gress for some time yet, by rendering
the roads impassable.  The weather is,
and has been very, disagreeable for
several days.  It either snows or rains
three days in the week  On the 18th
of January there was a greater quantity 
of snow fell that "we Georgians" have
been accustomed to witness.  It cover-
the ground twelve or fifteen inches
deep.  There have been several small
snows since that time.  This morning
it commenced snowing, then turned 
to raining, and is raining now.  Though
there has been a great deal of snow
here, the weather has not been ex-
tremely cold.  Yesterday and the day 
before were quite pleasant days, some-
what resembling spring.
   We regret very much to say, the
majority of our regiment is still with-
out tents; there are only two to each 
company, one for the officers, the other 
for the privates.  A great many of the 
boys build small bunks of logs and
cover them with blankets and oil-cloths,
to these bunks they build chimneys,
thus rendering them very comfortable.
Those who have tents put chimneys to
them.
   The health of our company is very
good at this time, notwithstanding the
exposures to which they are subjected.
There have been some furloughs gran-
ted recently. To-day Sergt T. C. Black-
well and Private C. Morris, of Fire-
side Defenders, and several others in
the regiment received furloughs for
twenty-nine days; you may be sure
those papers were joyfully received.
   The "Courier" finds its way into out 
camp occasionally.  It is quite a wel-
come messenger among the Floyd boys.
We hope it may continue to pay us a
visit frequently hereafter. We will 
close, as our facilities for writing are
quite limited.			H.