Camp Near peetersburg
Aug the 9 1862
Dear Mother I take my pen in
hand though very feeble to inform
you that I am not well at this
time for I have got the direar
very bad and am sick at the stomack
ever now an then I feel so week
an bad that I am fit for nothing
but I hope thoes few Lines will reach
and find you well an doing well
Mother you must excuse me for
not writing before now because we
have been of on A march we Left
our tents Last wendsday was A
week Ago and we Left evry thing
we had thair and we went down
to Sity point expecting to meet
the Enamy evry day but did not
and day before yesderday we come
back to peetersburg then out tents
an knapsacks was sent for an now
we are in camp About two miles
from petersburg whitch makes
the third time that we have moved
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sence we Left North Carolina the
Company is in A bad State of health
now and Sevrel has dided Sence we
come here Charls Cox is ded and I
you to Let me know if you ware
at the baring he was A good fellow
and I Liked him as well as any
one in the Company
Mother I must State to you that
I hapened to bad Luck with my
bag of pervision the Chickings
was wroten for thair was magets
in them an the pies was sower
an broke all to peices an the sweet
cakes was in the same fix but
the cake would of been good if
the chickings had not of been on
top So I Saved nothing but the apples
cowcumbers an the corn meal
an ham of meet for eaven
the close that you Sent to me got
Stold before they got here an they
Said that they new not how they
[page 3]
went that rurt me worce [1]
then all the rest because I
knew that the trousers was new
ones an that it took A heep of
work to make A pare sevrel of
the rest of the boys things got
Lost to for ben Frank Lost ten
chickens on the way they are gone
and I cant help it though I got
two hole shirts two pare of pants
Except the red yarn ones that I
brought from home they are very
thin though I can patch them
up and they will Last A while
yet and as for jackets I have got
two the black yarn one I never
had it on sence I Left home as
for stockings I got two pare but
they are holy in the foot part
I dont want my over coat yet
So keep it untell I Send for it
but it is A mistry to me to see
how the close got of the bag
[page 4]
and never took any thing elce
probly they mought thair was
thirteen apples four cowcumbers
and nineteen iserspotatoes so
you know how many you sent
the pone of bread was sower to
Mother you wrote to me somthing
About drawing the jonas field
fence in I cant tell you what
to do if you think that it will
be the cheapest and can save
rails by it do so for I am A
way here and home is thair
so do as you think best I think
the Lord has blessed you well this
sumer for you have ingoyed good
health an has got A Long very well
in your crop for I understand
that it is as good as any through
the neighborhood so I will close
tell all the rest houdy for me
John W.William to his Loving Mother
direct your Letters to Peetersburg va