[Sull]ivans Dect 15 th 18[61]
Island, S. C.

Dear Father
I take the oportunity of Droping you A
few More Lines to Let you No how I am
geting A long at the present I am well
to Day & enjoying good health
and hoping when thes Lines Reach you they
May find you all well & enjoying good health
I have No News of importance to write you
though ill try and Raik up Some thing or
other I will write you Something of the
Bernin of the city of Charleston whitch was
Bernt on the knight of the twelf it was the
ofels fire that I ever Saw I Learn that
it Bernt up the Comisary Departement
and in it was bernt fifty thousand
Dollars of Bacon & all the Sugar; cofee &
Molases whitch was A grat Deal I Suposed
that their was one hundred & fifty thousand
Dollars of Confederate States propiety
Bernt and I Suposed their was Several
Millions of priafate proprety Bernt & I also
Learn that it Bernt A Bout one fourth of the
city we have Now for Some time only Ben
[gi?]ting half Rations of cofee So I Recon
[torn off] we wil get None Atal after the Berning
[torn off] I blive of the Berning
[page 2]
I have No News to write About [torn off]
yankes I recon you have Lernd from the[ torn off]
papers of the batle at Porte Roil So ill write
Nothing of that the yankes is Still hoverd
A Roun Charleston habor they is three vesels
in Site to Day Father I Lern from the
papers that the Govner has call for ten thousand
More volinters I tell you I want you to hold
your peace Dont Never volinteer in this
world ill tell you that you could not Stand
it Never & I want you to keep your Name
of of any such papers the Life of A Soulder
is to hard to Live an old man Like you
has no Bisiness in camps for they are more
in the way than the good they do
you wrote that you would Like for Me to
come hom A Chrismast ill tell you it is impos
ible they have got us Stuk in for the war
and theirs No chance to get A ferluo
I will bring my Short Leter to A Close
thes Lines Leaves me well Patrick Miler
is Coming home Christmast to get Cloth
for uniforms you wrote that you was makin
pantle loons for me Socks & glooves if you
pleas Send me A jacket Brown Redy M[page torn]
if you have Not Sent hold on Patrick [page torn]
fetch them to Me after Christmast
Wm. T. Martin Oliver Martin