Pensacola, Fa Sept 2nd /64

Well Father
I received your letter today datid
the 7th & was glad to hear from
you & also the wrest of the folks
I was sorry to hear that By was [By = Byron]
sick how is he now enny better
how is all of the folks down there
my helth is not verry good out
here hot wether does not agree
with me verry well I am so
to be all of the time but I do
no duty yet the boys are
pretty slim it is verry sickly
here among the boys one from our
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company was burrid yesterday
he died verry sudden he killed him
self drinking watter, we have
to be verry careful about drinking
watter out here & not drink to
mutch, we live verry poor out here
we do not git half enough to eat
hardly we have to buy a lot of
our own ti[a?]ing but mone[y] is gitting
played out I dont know what we
shall do
we have just been to dinner we had
condensed vegtables I ate alittle
of mine & throwed the wrest into
the swill barrel, I wrote to you about
a weak ago I wrote about
James Emery & Frank Huntons death
they died in the Hospital
Quint is gitting along well
we was mustered for pay day before
yesterday I do not know when we
shal be payed they are owing us
four months pay now but we may
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not be payd of[f] for four months
to come,
I am sorry Crops are so light this
season times are so hard butter
out here is 75 cts per pound Cheese
60 cts Onions 15 cts potatoes 12 cts
Rasins 60 cts flour 15 cts eggs $1.25
per dozen & every thing else in perpotion
is things so high there if they be
I do not see how you do live
how does them Stears grow I would
like to be there & team them
a little think they would runaway
I have just been eating a lunch soft
bread & butter take good care of my
Sheep & lambs you got a good price
for your wool are you going to
keep my sheep & Lamb for me
this winter if you can I wish
you would Then I shall know whare
they are & how they are taken
care of I don think of enny
thing more to write so I will
[page 4]
have to close, write soon as you
git this with out fail good by
from you son
Ezra Getchell

kiss Ella & May for me tell them
to be good girls
tell Sarah Davis & Eudora Lisherness
that I got theyer love safe & send them mine
to them in return