Student+10+8th

Dear family,

Here I am, a poor carolina farmer, in the midst of this war. Every night I sleep in my tent or sometimes on the ground. It's cold every day, every night, every moment in this cold winter. I eat what little we have of corn, bread, some fruits, if we're lucky some meat, and anything safe to eat in the wilderness around us. The food is always cold, or wet, or stale, but me and the other soldiers get by. War, I can't believe it came to this. We have to wear uniforms now, they keep us warm the most. A cocked hat keeps my head covered with little warmth, which is welcomed greatly. Some of the others hats got beat up with holes in them, but that doesn't stop them from putting them on every day. Our coats and breeches are what keep us alive during this winter. Our stockings and leather shoes are getting raggedy but still hold strong. We also have a small cartridge box to carry our gunpowder in. Which we dont have much of either. Our muskets are our only big defense against the red coats. We have about 15-20 shots worth of musket powder each. We also have a bayonet that can attach to the end of our rifle, but we can use it in our hands too. The constant training and exercising is exausting and tiring. The other soldiers and I don't get target practice due to the shortage of ammunition, another one of our great weaknesses. The sergeants put us through drills and courses almost every day during the summer. Now the winter makes it just too cold to train. If there was a healthy supply of food, and more blankets to keep warm under, everyone would be in execellent shape. During the drills, we march, perform push-ups and sit-ups, run, and learn more about how to fight. I myself so far have only been through 2 battles, but they were something I will never forget. My group approached the red coats, and spoted our targets. On our sergeant's mark, we fired. That first shot I did not know if I wounded, or killed anyone. I might have missed for all I know, but what I saw was unforgetable. People dieing in front of my eyes, the blood, the thought of their families loosing a member that day, that moment. I loaded my gun, then advanced with everyone else. Took position, and fired. This time I saw who I shot. Even though I couldn't have seen, because of the distance between us, I think I watched the light go out of his eye. Again we went forward. The battle went on for what seemed to be a long time. Afterwards, we gathered all the gunpowder and musket balls we could find, and then divided it up amoung us. In about four days time most of what we had earned was used in the next battle. Right now we are just waiting out the winter. We live closely together in our small tents, gathering heat. My tent is fortunate enough to have a blanket this week, thankfully. The nights are cold and harsh but the days are better. When there is a blizzard coming, we all make sure our tents are secure, then bundle up inside. During the day we learn more about fighting and share stories and thoughts. The sergeant sleeps in a cabin we made for him. Some are mad at the fact that we have to freeze while he's warm inside his cabin, but I think he deserves it more than us. It must be stressful to make plans and to see your soldiers struggle to survive, even though he doesn't show it. In the summer when it is warm we sleep on the ground outside where it is cool during the hot nights. More battles occur then too. I am not entirely looking forward to that, but I cannot foget the reason I joined the Army. The mainland has gone too far. Taxing paper, tea, and then punishing, most of the time killing, anyone who refuses to follow these laws. After the battle of Saratoga, I knew that we could win, and I still do think that. This war might bring hard times, but we will strive to the finish!

From Billy