Camp Mangum
Near Raliegh Dec the 30 1861
Dear father
I take my pen in hand
to drop you A few Lines to Let you know that I am
as well as common hoping thoes few Lines may find you
ingoying the Same blassing Father I gess you thought
Long of the time because I did not write Amediaty pleas
excuse me for not writing no Sooner then I did for
it is A bad chance to write here we drill evry day
from eight oclock in the morning tell twelve oclock
then one hour to cook and eat and then drill till
nearly dresperade now it is past nine oclock and the
rest is ASleep but I intend to write gust as Long as
I can write and pay the poasteg we are bound
titer thin negros but I take it fare and easy my
Capt and Leiuts is good to us it is the feild ofecers
makes the case worse our rigment is very Sickly our
company is very Sickly at presant counting all the
Sick men through the rigment thair is About one
hundird and fifty that is not fit for duty and
thair dies one evry day here for A week past it is
A Serious time with me to See So many taken Sick
and die but I trust in god that I Shall Live to
See my time out and go home we Shall get our
pay Soon I think thair is A going to be A grate
time to morrow we Shall form A brigade to morrow
thair was About three thousand men drilled togather
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to day and thair will be About four thousand
men in ranks to morrow the oficers are fixing out
the pay roles expecting to receive our money to
morrow but I dont know whare the pay master will
be here or not but I Suppose he will be A round be
fore Long thair is nearly five rigments here and
no one knowes when we Shall Leave here our brigadeir
gineral is named Leventhrop our curnel is A preacher
and I think he is A good man I have had nothing
alledge Aganest me since I have been in Camp and I get
Along with our company very well out of three
thousand men our company got the prase by the
revewing oficer in marching to day our oficers are
puting us through fast thay want to get us drilled
well So at any call we may be rady we drill
with our napsacks on and all other equepidge for war
So that we may be use to it if we Should have to
toat them I hope that this will reach you well
and doing well So I must come to A close by
Saing that I have A hope of Seeing you all Agane
but if I Should not be So fortunate as to come
back Let us Live So on earth that we may meet
in heaven whare we Shall part no more write
Soon and Send me all the nuse tell all the
family houdy for me and give my Love
to all inquring friends So I must close hoping
to here from you Soon John. W. Williams
tell William and Johnson to be good boys