Newbern July 3th /63

Dear Sister

I now take
my pen in hand to write you
a few lines to let you know
that I am well and hope
these few lines will find
you the same I received a
letter from you a few days
ago baring the date of the 17th
I was glad to hear from you and
that you was well we are
under marching orders we are
to start to morrow morning
with tow days rations in our
haversacks and three in the
wagons no body noes whare
we are a goin the cavelry and
five regments start to day
I think that we are agoin to
make a raid up into the
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country to tare up the rail-
road some whare they have
got a mashien for taring
up the track it spoils the
rails so they are not good
for enny thing they all think
it strange that they take our
regment out of the city
to go on the march it is
going to the third new york
cavelry they got up a
pertition and carryed it
to head quarters to have
our regment go with them
we have ben on a number
of scouts with them and
they think that when they
have us with them that
they have got some thing
to fall back
upon if that they get over
powerd they do not like
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these new regments to
place mutch dependenc
upon they get scard to easy
we have had pretty livly
times in the city for a
few days back the mariens
from the gun boats have tried
to run over the guards they
have had a number of bloody
fights they pounded one of
them so he run in to the
river to swim to his boat
and drowned and another
came very near it a number
of our men came out with
broken heads but none dangerously
our side allways came out
top the malitia are to be
armed to day and take our
places in the city while
we are gone I bet that they
will have more fighting with
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the mariens than we shall
with the grey backs I saw
Chester Loomis yesterday he
did not no wheather he was
drafted or not he said that
they had got his name on
the enroolment it will
make some of these big
merchants squirm some I
am thinking I will send a
couple of rings in this I
do not no as they will fit
you but I guess one of them
will give the other to one of
the boys, dinner is ready
and I do not think of enny
thing more to write perhaps
you would like to no what
we have got for dinner we
have got baked fresh beef
and potatoes we get fresh
meat twise a weak A Holcomb