[1] Nov the 18 1862
Dear Mother I now sit down
to write a few lines to you to let
you no that I am well and
tough I never was tougher in
my life than I am now I haint
bin sick any to speek of since
I was at home I have just bin
to dinner and I had a good one
I had flour bred coffe beef stake
potatoes and fat and some nice
surrup and I made out a very good
dinner I do believe that I have
gained a nunber of pounds since
I came out here we have had one
snow storm since I bin here thare
was about 2 inches of snow but it
left very soon when the sun came
out we have had a easy chance the most
of the time we are building a log house
[page 2]
now to stay in this wintter our
reg is a goin to guard long bridge
this wintter they say and if they do
we shall have a easy chance I wish
you and father could come out here
and see how things go I bate you
would say that you never see hard
times but I have got along very
well some days I had to fare on
rather poor food but I have bin very
lucky and not bin sick and I feel
to bee thankfull to that God who
looks out for his children I have
seen Jock smith and a good many
more that belong to the 10 reg and
some that belong to the 17 reg we
see all sorts of soldiers and heer
from the boys all around we have
not had but a few that has bin sick
Cyrus Winslow is sick but he is
not dangrous he is a little better
than he was tell Mr Winslow that
[page 3]
they think he will be out in a
day or to or in a few days Robison
Edwards has got out now he is
getting better fast tell Charles
Lamb to write to me thare is
not much news here now
the rest of the boys are well
tell the folks that thare is not
any of us home sick yet I hurd
that they said that Lewis was
but it haint so tell Mr Chute
that the 17 has had to moove 3 or 4
times since I have bin here and I
supose that the reason is that
Curtis haint wrote is that
he haint had much time to
but I guess he is well for
they heer from the boys and
they haint said any thing
but he was I heer from the
17 very often and from the
10 the boys was all well when I
[page 4]
hurd from them last
Cyrus Winslow is a going
they think Robison Edwards
has got out again he had a
fever that is about all the
news about our boys we
have bin very lucky indeed
we haint lost a man out
of our reg yet that has died
thare was some skeedaddel
I was on the long bridge last
night and we had a good time
our guarde house is a large
hotel that belong to the rebels
but they dont one it [much?] [now?] [2]
O we have a good time the [most?]
of the time only a litle more
than 6 months longer to
stay then if nothing hapen
we shall be at home so good
by from your son
Elisha Turner
[3] when you write let me
no if you get this wright I have
put in 6 dollars and 35 cents into this
letter