Nov the 3 1862
Dear sister I now sit down to answer
your letter I am well and tough and so
are all the boys but Ronison Edwards is
unwell but I guess that he will be out
in a day or so we have bin very lucky so
far and I hope that we shall be we are
trying to serve God and I put my trust
in him and I hope that we all shall met on
earth once more we have very good times
here and I enjoy my mind very well we
have small tents that will hold 5 men
each ourn is composed of Silas Robison
and Wyatt Edwards and Cabe Winslow
and I and we read the bible evry day
and sing evry evning and when we get
redy to go to bed we all kneal down and
pray to God who hears prayers we have a
good litle meeting every knight and I hope that
the friends we left to home is a praying
[page 2]
for us I haint seen half as many
meeting houses out here as I have seen in
some places in maine but I am bound to
press my wan on and I want you to and all
the rest so if we should not never meet
on earth that we may be prepared to meet
in that blest land above I hope the ware
will be brot to a close before long and
we all meet and have a good time I have
hurd from Curtis and Charles and
Wesley and all the rest they are all well
I rote to them they are 30 or 35 miles from
me I haint hurd from Joseph Knight
since I have bin here Horace Barows has
just come from Alaxander and he could
not here from him and I want you
to write and let me no how or whare
he is I hurd from nat a while ago he
was geting smart fast thare is not
many sick in this reg the 23 reg had
gon to most harper fery I haint hurd
from gilbert for 8 or 10 days he was
[page 3]
well then and Albeyon Chute is in
the 27 they are about 60 or moor rods
from us he was well the last time I saw
him we have all bin very lucky about
being sick and I fell to thank God for his
watchfull care over us but I have to morn
that I dont serve him better. thare is not
much news here now we have warm
weather and the grass is green and the
leaves haint left the trees yet and the
catle look as plump when they come home
as ourn do in aug it looks of droll to me
to see farms without a barn and they drive
Jackasses for teams and they have 4 of them
and they get on the nie [1] one behind and
drive the other 2 with 1 rain they will
go a yanking that rain [2] and laying on the
brade [3] and the old women do the marketing
with a old horse and cart it looks droll
to me to see such stuff some places is
very prety and some is the other way
Washington is not so prety as place as
[page 4]
Portland and I haint seen a city
that was I have seen the white house
whare old Abe stops and they are a
bulding a new capitol in the city It
is a very great bulding I have seen
the great eastern it is a very great
boat and I have seen a good many
fine sites since I left home and a good
many that was not very fine we fare
very well so far I haint bin home sick
yet but I should like to come home and
go to chool [4] this winter Edmund Green
is as tough as a bear I guess that he is
go cured of his tisick [5] he haint had a
touch of it since he enlisted nor Lewis
haint when you get this you let the
folks have it to read I want you to see
if these 5 cents and 10 cents postage
stamps will pass in Otisfield they
wont here and if they will I am a
goin to send some home and swop them
to some thing elce that is about all the
news give my love to all tell Catey
Bracket that I want her to send me a
bilet [6] and let me no shure wheather
Newel is a corting sarah or not
tell william and haty that I send my
love to them and best respects writ
when you can sarah said if I did not
answer her letter he would be after me
I have answered all that I have received
but write all of you when you can
and dyrect to the same place
[7] pleas write all the news that you
can think of from your brother
Elisha Turner