Scope and Contents Barrier confirms receipt of his father's "kind favor of the 17th." He is glad to learn that Rufus's company is in such good health, though he is saddened to hear of some losses among the men: "Such is the fate of camp life." He writes that, while there have been rumors of action to the west, he hopes that they are unfounded, because the last Fredericksburg fight (the battle of Chancellorsville, 2 May 1863) was "very hard," and "many a brave boy fell there," even if the Confederates were...