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Assistant Quarter Master's Office, Head Quarters 2d Div., 6th Corps,
March 24th 1863.
My dear Mother,
all. I suppose you are all very anxious to hear of my wellfare again, so, though it is late, I will gratify you. I am still very well and, though my right hand is somewhat weak I am still able to do what is required of me here. I believe it never was so weak & useless to me, when it felt so well as it does now, as it is at the present. It has not yet got so but I can shove the Quill, some, if not to so good a looking sheet as formerly. I once in a while get enticed into throwing a ball, or stone, by seeing the rest do it, and before I [underline]think[/underline], away goes one from my own hand & then you ought to see me jump. It is as bad as being struck on the head, with a sharp stone.
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In putting on, or off, my coat, or even brushing my boots, coat, or hair I frequently give it a tweak that will make it ache for an hour. When I was at Hagarstown, a sore came on the wrist, where the swelling used to be, and seemed like a boil for a while when the soreness left it, but the bunch remained and looked the same as a boil without a head. - A day or two ago I thought I would see what it was made of, so I took my Eraser from the Desk and split open the bunch and found a hard, white dead gathering, like, as Doctor May used to say a toad stool. I do not see as it is any [underline]better[/underline], or [underline]worse[underline] for it.
We are still in Winter Quarters & I do not see an immediate prospect of our being out of them soon, though we may be ordered out tomorrow. No one here, knows more of it than this. Some of our teams were ordered away to haul Pontoons to the River a day or two since, but a rain came on &
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the roads became so bad that it was deemed best to postpone the advance for a while. The men are ordered to have five day's rations in their Knapsacks constantly, and three more ready to fill their Haversacks till we do move. To accommodate this amount of grub, the clothing to be carried in the Knapsacks is reduced to one each, of shirts, drawers and stockings. (of course one pair of the latter). We are ordered to have ten day's rations of Grain and four of Hay constantly on hand. This, just for the Animals at these Head Quarters takes about forty-three thousand lbs. of Oats & seventy-six thousand lbs. of Hay, so you see we have something of a pile to see to. But the Lt. is going to bed and I must close. I shall answer Mary's letter soon. Give my love to all.
Truly as ever
W. B. Stevens
To R. B. Stevens
