Jan the 19th 1864
Dear wife I take my pen in hand
to drop you a few lines to let you no
that I am well and harty and
I do hope thess few lines may find
you and Junes [1] and all the rest
in good helth I can Say to you that
it is cold wether here it Snoud last
night the Snow is about 4 inches
deep me and Sam went a rabbit
hounting we cetch 1 and I think
we will ceth a plenty to morrow
if we dont haft to go on picket
every thing is quiet here I dont
tha will be any fight be next
Sommer my mess is all well
I will tel hoo is in my mess it
is me and felt Sam Frank Lashm[?]
Alexander Husner Martin Miller
Samuel bisele Luis Kinble
and Haisson brauer and we
only get a quarter of a poun of bacon and
one pound of flour a day you no that
[page 2]
is but little but I can live
on that and I can Stand it if
tha dont Soot me I beleve I will
get fat this winter if nothing happens
Junnes I want you to behave your
Self and be a good boy and mind
Emoline and I will Send you a prss
ant the first Chance I hav you
must take good cere of your horse
and your pigs Emoline I want you to
mind and be saving with your
pervision and ever thing that you
hav got for thar is nothing to
eat here corn mele is worth one
dollar a quart mete you cant by
So if you dont tak good cear of
what you hav got as you will hav
to Suffer [??????] take cear of your
Self for I hav to do the best I can
and you must do the Same until
I come home I hop this dam war
Stop this spring for I want to
get home and Settle with Some
of them dam rascles thar is
[page 2]
about 3 or 4 men that I want
and if ever I get home I will hav
Satisfaction now I will tel you
what I drawd I drawd 1 par of
pants 1 shirt 1 par of drawers 1 par of
Socks 1 par of Shoos and 2 coats tha
made a mistak and give me 2
Coats I dont war one of them I want
to Send 1 home the first Chance
I get and cap I want to Send
that to dock if I can I think
John Birlley is coming home on
a ferlow then I can Send them
I want you to put a little [??]
thred in a letter for I nede some
thar is a hepe of thing that I wod
like to a had but I was takein
of like a dog but I will giv
people hell if ever I get back
So I will Stop for this time
direct to Jesse Hill the 21st Reg [??]
in cear of Lieutenant Pratt
hoaks Brigade
from
Jesse Hill
to Emoline Hill