Camp Near Fort Ramsey--

Near Upton’s Hill—May 13, 1863

My Dear Mother --

Your most kind and loving letter I received this afternoon, about an hour ago and then the sun was shining and it was very hot here, but now it is raining very hard and the thunder is rolling and the lightening is playing around in the skies and I am here in the tent sitting on my knapsack with my coat off, because it has been so very warm here for the last two or three days that it has been very uncomfortable with hardly anything on.

The men, or a great many of them, have been around barefooted which they were off on duty. It is as warm here as has been for a day or two past as it has been there at home in July. We have got quite a pleasant camp here now. It is near to Fort Ramsey which is occupied by the 11th Mass Battery. They are nine months men and their time is about out a week from today or they have been ordered to report in Washington next week Tuesday. I must say, that I wish that my time was up as soon. Oh and that makes me thing that I believe that you asked me in your letter that you wrote before last, how I feel about your letting me come out here and whether I wished you had kept me at home. I believe that I forgot to answer the question when I wrote before. I will tell you how I feel about it.

Sometimes, or very often, I must say that I thought how easy you might have kept me and how I wished that you had and other times when I sit down and think of it all through calmly, I think that I am glad that I came and I am well satisfied that I never should have been contented if I had not come when I did. I should have come in one of the nine months regiments. I have quite often felt sorry that I was in a rush—too much of a hurry to come and did not wait until the nine months call was made and come then. But, Mother, I want that you should remember that I don’t blame you in the least for letting me go.

There is one thing--I think that we have more things to provoke a fellow in this Regiment then in any other Regiment. I will give you an instance. When we marched the Captain of all our Companies to take as little as we could possibly get along with. So most every man in the Regiment left their poorest pair of pants and their old leather stocks and some of them left their white gloves because the Captain told them to leave their old pants and not take but one pair and all such things. And last Sunday, after we had got up here, when we came out on inspection, the Colonel came around and told the Captains of all the companies to see that every man had a new pair of pants and two pairs of white gloves and a stock and he told the men if they did not have them by next Sunday, he would put every man in the guardhouse and the next day he issued an order so that we have to come out on dress parade with our knapsacks on for two weeks and the Colonel told the Captains the to have the price taken out of the next pay. He says that he will se if the men are going to throw away everything. What do you think of that?

Now, if we should march, I never could carry an extra pair of pants, besides the rest of my things, which is an overcoat, a dress coat, my shirts, towels, stockings, handkerchief, besides my woolen and rubber blankets and other little trinkets and our rations. But enough of that. I wish, Mother, that you would buy one pair or two of woolen stockings and send to me. I had one pair of mine stolen just before we left Fort Lyon. It was not the new pair, but the pair that you sent before that. If you send the box you can send them in that. You asked me if my boots hurt my feet. They do not unless I march off a good ways. About my having anything about my being clerk, I must say that I don’t care to do it for Capt. French does the writing and has to do duty in the Company besides doing the writing.

I have heard that Allie (?) was spreading him self around since he has been going to school as large as life. I had heard that Mary Hunter was going to be married soon, some time ago. I don’t think that Mr. Corliss waited hardly long enough to show proper respect to his wife. But I do not think of anything more to write. Your loving and true Son…Arthur B. Stone…

P.S. I heard last evening after I had written the letter by one of the Sergeant’s in our Regiment that went down to see his brother that was wounded from the 10th, he saw a fellow that enlisted from Spencer that I know by the name of John Beaumont and that Beaumont was wounded in the head. And he said that Henry Jones was killed. Have you heard so yet? Henry Jones came there at Fort Lyon to see us the day before we went down to the Regiment. Arthur

Varina Landing, Army of James, March 26th, 1865 My Dear Mother,      I will write you a few lines today although I have not arrived at any permant stopping place.      I left Harpers Ferry on Thursday morning and arrived in Washington that afternoon and remain there over night and the next morning I went to the Paymaster and got my pay up to the 1st day of March and put ten dollars more with it and sent it by Adam's Express to you making $80.00 that afternoon. I found our Colonel Lincoln and he was going to the regiment that afternoon and we got on board the boat that afternoon and started for City Point it was a very rough day on the river we arrived at Fortress Monroe the next morning at 1/2 past six o'clock we started from there for City Point in going down from there I found Captain Macomber and Lieut Carton of our regiment on the boat they got on at Fort Monroe so that I had some company we arrived here which is some twenty miles form Bermuda Hundred up the river and about a mile from the Dutch Gap Canal.      When we arrived here we found that the whole of our Division had moved that morning which was yesterday towards the White House and Capt. Macomber advised me to stop here at the Quartermaster of the Division. Capt J. L. C. Amu? who is a Mass man as I may acquainted with most of his clerks or rather with two of them and as we had walked about five or six miles and it was then nearly dark. I was well pleased with the idea. What I am going to do I dont know. I shall do as the officers who are here think best I have no gun or equipment and I shall not try to follow the regiment at present it is not known whether they are coming back or not but they think here now they will.      This is a very strange looking country down here now the rebels are only about two miles from here. Admiral Porters fleet lays in the river in plain sight of us here it was only just above here that the Rebel Gunboats came down and where the Drury was sunk., a rebel gunboat since then Porter's fleet has been up here most of the time.      You must not feel uneasy about me. I shall try and get along as well as I can and if possible shall get a detail. Lieut. Carton who is on the Division Staff said there was a great many chances and said if the Q.M. or C.S. did not want me he did so I am in hopes I may get a detail down here and you must hope and think that I may be able.      I cannot report to the regiment while they are away that is a certain thing and I shall stay somewhere until they come back. But I will write you again soon you had not better write until I write you again and tell you how to direct~ Ever Your Loving Son, ARTHUR M. STONE