Camps Near port royal Va December the 30 th 1862
Dear and affectionet Companion I seat my self
to Drop you afew lins to inform you of my helth
I Can Say to you that I am in good helth
at present hoping those few lins may com
to hand in Due time and find you all well
the children and family all well and
Doing well I recevd your kind
letter yesterday and I was glad to hear from
from you I was glad to hear that you and
the children was all well I am glad
to hear from you Any tim I would Bee
glad to hear from you just as often
as you w[??]rite to me and I will Ainser [1]
your letters as soon as git them if it
is So that I Can Some times it is so that
I Caint rite when we ar marching
I dont have the Chaince to rit But when I
have the Chaince I intend to rite to you as
long as I live or till the war ends I was
glad to hear that to hear you was Doing
as well as you Say you ar I [?????] [2]
when you rite to me to rite me the truth
About how you ar making out Dont Bee
afraid to let me No for I wount to No
haw you far I No that I will rite to
you haw you ar I am Doing times is hard
hear But we git plenty of Beef & flour
Now to eat and Some times we git
[page 2]
alittle Bacon we have had a very warm
winter Sofar onley afew Days at a time
we have had Some very Cold wether
and But little Rain I recevd the finger
Braid that you Sent to me and was glad
to rceive it you Staited that Mother was
going to git marred to one mr Baity and
I think if She Can Better her Self and
Bee sadisfide I think it verry proper in
So Doing though if she Dos Not Bee as
well sadisfide as she was Beefore I
will Bee sorry of that if mother
and mr Baitty is marred I send
my Best respect to them and tell Mr
Baitty to rte to me and R[?????] [3]
ingeneral and I will say
to you that I hear that the men that
owns Six Negros tha ar exempt from the
war and that tha ar all giting out of the
going to the war By Some way or
Nother tell george Ann that I will hug [4]
and kiss her and Call her Candy & Shugar
Candy two when I see her and tell
Newton that I will hug him two
and the Baby if I ever see him I intend
to give him one good hugging and I
Send the Saim to Rosetter and tell her I
wount her to bee asmart girl I will
Send you Some more money as soon as I
Can I have Spent Nearley all of the
money that I kept when I Drawed last
[rest of letter missing]