Feb 22th [1863] [New Orleans]

My dear friend Fred it is With pleasure
that i sit Myself down to Write you a few
lines to let no that i Still live and
think of you and live in the exspect-
ations of geting a litter from you
but i have not recived one from you
yet as i have Written two to you and
i suppose that you have not recieved them
by what bart told yesterday as he was
down here to the St James Hospital to see
me i tell you Fred i and bart are all rite
but we dont get tite verry often he and [I?]
do travel some days When we get Started
we dont no enough to stop untill after
our pass has run out and then we
have to contrive some plans to olter
them and make them run longer
but we are all rite now for we have
gut standing passes now but Fred
When we come home if you and i dont
have some fun that what the matter
is you no V Monroe i suppose dont you
Wall i want you should tell him to have
a barrel of Cider all readdy so that
you can draw and drink and not forget
to nock the head out of one barrel of
[page 2]
apples i am not feeling verry well just
now for i have gut the mumps my
face is swolen as big as two the boys
are all in good trim Fred i should of
liked to of had you been here yesterday
[??] had quit a riot our on the levee they
had to take the 206 reg [1] down their and one
battery and our reg was orderd to be
in readdyness and 12 more their
Was about 10,000 people on the levee their
Was an exchange of prisoners and
When the rebbels Went of their
Was a pile of the God dam cusses
and the 26th had to charge on them
to keep them of the boat they had
flags and rebbel ones to but they
had them taken away from them
dam quick and their Hanckerchief
and one fellow gut one With some
Money in it they cant scare the dam
one eyeed yankeys as they call us
if you see any of the folks tell them
how that i am all rite and Will write
in a few days i have not written for
two weeks their has several boats
come in and no letter from home
for me but one and that [Lar??] wrote
and everry boat that comes in i have
[page 3]
one from My little bird you no
who i mean but i want some of
the rest of them to write Fred cant
yer get May [pul?] and ride here
some sunday and see a fellow of
king some old horse it dont make
much difference for they think
that a mule is a good horse here
and i must bid you good by
for this time With much love
and give My love to all the folks
please Write as soon as you recieve
this and Write all the news

From your Friend
and Brother
Wm H Monroe
New Orleans Feb 22 th

give my love to
Say and kiss her like
the dev for me