the 14th 1863
Camp Near Shelbyville Tenn, June
My dear & Mutch beloved wife & little
childring & connection all it is alone thr
ough the murcy & kind protection of all
mity god that i am blest withe the presant
oppertunity of droping you a few lines in
order to let you no that mi self & Mcdonald
is as well as common to day & i truly hope
these few lines may reach your hand in due
time & find you all the happy sherers of the
same good blessing for which we should be
thankful to the grate giver of all good my
dear wife i can say to you that i received
your kind letter dated May the 18th which
give me grate satisfaction to here from you
one time more & to here that you was well but
i was sorrow to here that mother has bin sick
but i am in hopes that god will restor
hur to perfect helth a gane Marthy i can say
to you that i do want to sea you & the
dear little children the worst i ever did
in mi life May god bless you & them with
the best of helth til i come home a gane is my prare –
[page 2]
dear wif i can Say to you that i am
glad to here that you are gitting a
long withe your crop so well & that
you was makeing out verry well for So
mething to eat for i was a ferd you could
not manage the Stears it has relieved mi mind
a grate eal to here that your wheat looked
well & that you was gitting a long every
way as well as what you are & I am in hopes
that you will continue to do well til i come
home a gane if i am ??> to come home a
gane i think i will git to come before ver
ry long but i dont no when nor how th
at will be i some times think that this
un just war will have to close soon
then a gane i think it will last some time
yet i want you to make all you can of
every thing that will do to eat Sutch
as corn & peas & potatoes & everything bud
make all of the tobacco you can for it is w
orth too dollars pr plug bud i am glad
to here that you are a good boy & that you
are doing all that you can to keep your
mother in good hart about me that is rite
[page 3]
you rote to me you wanted to know
how I was making out for Close I dont want
you to make me eny Close for I have to
draw my Close So you may rest contint
ed a bout that I dont want you to
make eny close at all you rote to me you
wanted to know what we got to eat we
get 1 half pound of Bulk pork to the man
a day & 1 pint of corn meal & of beef we get
1 pound of that a day in the plais of Pork
when we draw flour we get 1 pound & ¼ of
a pound to the man we draw somedays
1 mess of peas a week & 1 mess of Rise the
Saim that is our rashins in full you can
See how Rich we live here in the armey
it is hard living here but we make
out we have to by some Times a litel
meal to have bred to eat now I will
give you the description of produse Buter
is worth 2 dollars a pound Milk is worth
50 cts a quart out in the cuntry chickens
is worth from 2 to 3 dollars a peas Turkeys is
worth from 3 to 5 dollars a peas
[Rest of letter missing]