The signature of the soldier who wrote this letter is somewhat difficult to decipher but I believe it was W. F. Scott. Unfortunately there are several Confederate soldiers by that name and Lee had most of his Army of Northern Virginia encamped around Orange Court House at the time this letter was written in early February 1864.
The “shelling and skirmishing” described in the second paragraph probably refers to the Union advance who forced several crossing on the Rapidan river on 6 February 1864. This was done to divert attention from a planned cavalry-infantry raid up the Peninsula on Richmond which never materialized because a deserter tipped off the Confederates. It was Gen. Richard S. Ewell’s Corps that resisted the crossings at Raccoon Ford and Morton’s Ford so it is presumed that the author was in that Corps.
[Note: This letter is from the collection of Greg Herr and was transcribed and published on Spared & Shared by express consent.]
Transcription
Orange Court House, Va.
February 8, 1864
Dear Sister,
I seat myself this morning to drop you a few lines to let you know that I am well, hoping these few lines may find you well. I received your kind letter the other day and was glad to hear from you.
I have got back to camp. We have been down on the [Rapidan] river to meet the Yankees. We started yesterday morning and got back today. There was some fighting close to us but we weren’t in it. There was some shelling and skirmishing. They say that they took 50 prisoners from the Yankees and killed some few but I reckon they went back by us coming back to camp.
The weather is very cold here now and the mountains is white with snow but if I could stay in camp, I could do right well. We have got very good quarters now to stay in. We draw corn meal and a little meat and sometimes a little flour.
You wanted to know what I thought of your new dress. I think it looks very well. I was very much surprised to hear that Lucy and Frank was married. I never dreamed of such a thing. I wish she had a married when I was at home and let me be at the wedding.
I have wrote all that is worthy of your attention so I will close. Give my love and respects to Uncle John’s folks and tell Lucy the next time you see her she must write to me and you must write soon. — W. F. Scott
Spared & Shared 23 
We are still trying to find the unit for W. F. Scott who was with Gen. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Morton’s Ford on 6 February 1864. There is a comment that W. F. Scott’s signature was difficult to decipher. And it is.
Could that middle initial be an L or maybe a T?
Since he signed this letter to his sister with his initials, do you think that is probably what his family called him instead of the names the initials stood for?
LikeLike
The pen stoke is quite odd. I don’t believe it’s a “T.” It might be an “L” or even a “J.” Pretty sure it’s not an “I” as there are many examples of capital “I” on the page. — Griff
LikeLike