January 18, 1862

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Camp Michigan 

Jan 18th, 1862

Dear sister and brother, I sit down to write you a few lines to let you know I am well, and I hope these few lines may find you all well. I did not wait to receive a letter from you. I went to Alexandria and got my likeness taken, it is not very good but my head looks natural.

We have got out pay, so money is flush at present. It is very muddy and warm here. It is muddier here than I ever saw it in Michigan, they have to go the uncles road. There has come new guns for this Regiment, they are rifles. I think the war will cease in a few months, you may look for me home next fall. Last Tuesday I had the sick headache and I had it very hard.

I send my love to the children. I want you to write to me all the news. I want to know what has become of Maria Byers and Jane Currier, Jane in particular, and Perrild Rectar. I had a letter from Geary Hay, they are well.

   S Mathews

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Written by pen on a plain sheet of paper folded widthwise three times over.

The 3rd was still in winter camp at this time, at a place know as Camp Michigan about 3-4 miles toward the front from Fort Lyon.

In this letter Samuel mentions going to Alexandria and getting a picture taken of him. There were thousands of pictures take during the Civil War, and many of them were portraits (See lots of pictures of Civil War soldiers here). Sadly, the picture of Samuel has been lost during the 150 years since it was taken, or is one of the hundreds of pictures of unidentified soldiers.

The 3rd was issued "Austrian Rifles" to replace their old muskets, which were ill fitted for the skirmishing that they had been doing lately. It was generally proclaimed that the new rifles were vastly superior and had far better accuracy. The Federal army purchased a total of 226,924 Austrian Lorenz rifles, and the quality range from good to horrible. The worse Lorenz's where purchased near the end of the war, whereas the good quality tended to be made early on in the war. They were made in .54 caliber, though most of them were drilled out to .58 so they could use the same ammunition as the 1861 Springfield and the 1853 Enfield. The Lorenz was just slightly shorter than the Springfield, with a 37" barrel compared  to the Springfield's 40" barrel.

3rd Michigan NCO's with new Austrian Lorenz rifles (Image from Seeking Michigan)

Original Austrian Lorenz