Group+6+3rd

Dear family,

I was scared when I inlisted to fight for my home, I had no trainig well a couple of times I had target practice but that was all. Today, was my first battle, we were attacked at base camp today. We had to retreat, some of our supplies was taken, so we are dangerously low on food. It started snowing this morning and it is a blizzard now I can barely see. I am freezing my uniform is just a shirt that is to small and stained with mud and a jacket that is torn and wet, on my legs I had thin pants that were wet and bloody, and for shoes I have cloth rapped around my feet that I tore from my shirt. Also the living conditions are terrible I sleep on the ground with nothing but a thin blanket and a small tent that We threw together, it's packet with five soldiers, some have died in there sleep from the cooled wether. I fear that this will also happen to me.

This morning we ate cooled deer from yesterdays dinner. It was disgusting to eat but I was so hungry I had to eat something. The next hour we packed our camp took our wepons and started to Saratoga. It was a painfull march. We finale arived and we fired our muskets, and they fired back. Bullets flew by but we kept fighting. They finaly surrendered and we took Saratoga. We also took supplies and guns. That very day France joined our battle. That night everyone had hope that we can still win.

Your son, Andrew