Cum berlon Gapp Tennessee May the 24 63 4
Dearest Nancy & Sweet Little Babes I Seat my Self a
Gain to Rite to you to lett you noe at I am Still
mong the liveing and in moderate helth onley I dont Appear
to have [????????] good helth while I [??] in camp the
Hope at i will ceep upp i am able for Due ty But i cant doo mutch
for i have redus in flesh tell i am very pore & week Lark
And Ezekel & Dow is in moderate helth & thay went over the
mountain yestoday to Stand picket & i Look for them back
Too morrow I hope at thiss may Soon reach you & find you
All well Nancy I havent eney thing worth to rite to
you for we dont git eny nuews hir hardly a tall & but few
Letters we have hard Liveing & a heep off hard Dewty to a
[????] the [yankes?] iss in a a bo 12 miles [off?] & we half to pick it &
Scout a heep & [fite?] them a casenley [????] have had [som?]
W[??]th them a few [tim?] past they have he[??] [for??]
come ing a gain the gap i think at thay will
Run us a way from hir bee for long thae i dont noe
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Nancy you can Doo ass you think Best for i
Cant advise you for i have bine Soe long a way & iss pesterd
Soe mutch at i harley noe what i ame dooing my Self
you rote at you wanted me to come home when Dow comes
home or [??] [other?] for it is a bad chance to git off her
[???] thoe i Shall use every effert at i can to get off
hope at i will Bee at home in June or July [???]
Tryeing too get a man to take my plase a while &
have got a man to Send home alfter his Son to take
my plase & we are a Looking for him this week i offerd him
Fifty Dollars a month & iff he comes & cant doo eney
Better i will give him a hundred dollars fro one month
I think he will come thoe he may not But iff he dont
I shall try some other way to git off or come i must & will iff
I can iff i node at the yankes was in that cuntrey
I wood Start too morrow thay are [????]ing hir dayley
we heant Drawd eney money yet But thinks we will in
A few days Nancy you nead not fix me eney close for i have
A nuff too doo me tell i come home i have too pare off
Yarn pants & thay eant much too [warm?] [???]
its verry plesent & the nites verry cole nearley
Cole enuff for frost i got the first letter you rote [????]
[???] home [?] that was the last one Soe Fare well for a while [???]
Dearest [bottom of page cut away] Nancy And Matthews