March 18th, 1863 (a Gooch Letter)

During his time serving in Company I of the 27th Maine, Private CHARLES W. GOOCH wrote over fifty letters to his wife Julia, back home in Kennebunk, Maine. The following is a letter he wrote to her on the 18th of March, 1863. I've transcribed it as written, with lack of punctuation and spelling errors included. Clicking on pictures will enlarge them for better reading.
​

Camp Genl Casey Vir March 18 63
                                  My Dear Wife
with pleasure I improve this oppertunity
to inform you that I am well and
hope you enjoy the same blessing
   I suppose I hardly dead remind
you that it is just five calander
months to day sence I left all I
hold dear on this green earth to
go no one new where but through
the mercies of A kind providence
I have been spared and kept from
Maladies whitch none are exempt
from thus far and I hope that
nothing will befall eather of us
and that in less than three months
from this day we ma meet again
where we last parted in the full
enjoyment of health and streangth
where we can lay down at night
​with out thinking of the (rivlee)

loud revelee whitch beats every
morning at day break and bids the
sleepers awake I would not have
you think that I forgot the sole of one has
fled or rather there is one little one
that used to form part of our sircle
now sleeps in the cold ground with her
little arms folded acrost her breast with
upturned face ready to hear the
the revelee that awakes the sleeping
million of the grave
when I make A little ring or any thing
for our little one that was left us when
the other was taken it makes me think
that I ought to make a nother
and some times I can hardly perswade
myself but what but what I had when
I could see how plane she used to
look when I gave her any thing that
pleased her and how she used to serene
    but I will change this conversation
lest I tire your patience we have not
​don any thing sence Sunday the

weather has ben stormy and the
ground so muddy that we have
not had so mutch as dress perade
and there is some snow now on the ground
  I have not got any thing new to write
to you in looking over the two pages
I have written I have made so many
mistakes in leaving out words and substi
tuteing words that I fear you cannot
make any sence of it
   I received A beautifull letter from you
monday saing you and gussy was well
whitch I was verry glad to hear
   there is an old fellow in our company
whe pertends to be A medium he
was in our den to day and tiped
our thing whitch takes the place of 
A table he drumed out that we was
going to portland the 15 of May and
would be mustered out the 30th of June
and that we should stay hear 3 or 4
weeks longer and then move to
the relay house and finish our
​

time out there but I beleive as
mutch of his sayings as I have A
mind to and you can do the same
   I wish I had some good news that
would interest you but I have not
and so your letter will be dull again
this time
   I enclose hear two rings one for gussy
the other for Williams little girl
if they will fit their finger and
if gussy is asleep when (the) you
get them put hers on her finger
and write to me what she says
when she wakes up and seese it
   I shall go out on picket saturday
I expect and I ma not get a schance
to write Sunday but I will write
as soon as I come in if nothing happens
to prevent so if you do not get your
next letter in time do not feel
uneasey about it
and as I have nothing more that
I can communicate to you I close
hopeing soon to see you
   your Affectionate hus C W Gooch
PS keep up good heart I will come
                        by and by I hope

Notes:
​Pg. 1 - "Camp General Casey" was located near the Fairfax Seminary, outside of Alexandria, Virginia. The regiment had moved there in January 1863, and would relocate to Chantilly on the 24th of March.
Pg. 2 -  On this page, Charles is writing about his deceased daughter Cordelia, who had passed away back on 23 Nov. 1862, aged 6 years.
Pg. 3 - "gussy" is Augusta Gooch, his three-year old daughter.
Pg. 3 - "an old fellow", probably not a volunteer from Kennebunk, as he'd have known him, and probably would have mentioned him by name. There were a few 40+ year olds in the company, including John Bracy of Alfred, George Buzzell and George Emmons of Lyman, and John Buzzell of Biddeford.
Pg. 4 - "Williams little girl" likely refers to Sarah, dau of William Emery, who was wife Julia's brother. She was aged 1-yr in 1860 Kennebunk census.