North Carolina Wake county
Camp Marlain December the 6 1861
Dear father it is writh the gratest pleasure that I
Seet my Self this morning to inform you that I am
well at presant and and ingoying my Self very well for
Somthing to eat and ware as you wanted to know how
I was fairing for Somthing to eat I fare well as good as I
expected to we get bacon beef flour corn bread and Lite bread
A plenty just when we want bacon we cook it and when
we want beef we cook it and that is the way with the
bread I have got my uniform coat pants drours Shirt
and Cap and also our arms our guns are rifle barrels whitch
I Suppose will Send A ball two or three hunderd yards
and also our cap box and Catherage box are here but is not
give out to us yet but I think will be Soon and a bout
ten mineuts A go Capt berry past along and gave me
ten dollars whitch was my bounty and I Sleep warm
thair is nothing to write that is new ony thair will
be and inspection here this eaning at four oclock by
the govner that is to See if we are drilled and our
tents Swept out clean I dont know when we
Shall leave here thair is A grate talk of us leaving
here but I no not when Capt berry thinks that
we Shant Stay here A fortnit and all of the oferces
thinks that we shall Leave Soon throughout the rig
ment but knows not whare we Shall go but
it runs in thair minds that we Shall go west turn over [1]
[page 2]
I hope that those few Lines will reach you
well and doing well I was Sorry to hire that
you and Johnson was not well but I trust in
god that the next time that I here from you agane
that you will be well
Father here is five dollars whitch I Send to you I
can make out without it very well this Leaves me
with Seven dollars I would Send you more but I
dont know when I Shall Leave here and I wont
go A Long way and probly wont need it but the
pay master will come before Long and then I will
Send Some more I have not much more to write
So I must Soon close excuse bad writing and Spelling
nomore at presant only re mains your Affectnate
Son untell death
John W. Williams
Mother you wanted to know if I was in the
Same mes I am but I Shant Stay in it no longer
then this week for me to be in Sutch A mes I
cant Stand it So I Shall go into willeoby jarman [2]
mes whare I can have my vuitles cooked by paing for
it and it will be cooked better then it is now for
I think Lasnes will kill the bunch nothing that thay
have don but if one is on gard the rest will not
cook for him and that mes that I am going in
all Likes me very well Write Soon John Williams