Newbern Aug 4th 1863

Dear Sister

I am now seated
to write to you a few lines
to let you know that I am
well and taking the comforts
of a soldiers life as easy
as it is posible I received
a letter from you monday
dated the twenty six and
was glad to here from you
and to heare that Chancey
was getting better the boys are
all anxious to heare from him
they all come around as soon
as I get a letter to see how
he is getting along and to
find out when he is a coming
back. I was on guard yesterday
so I could not write this to
have it go on the [?]ferry this
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morning but thare will be
a nother boat go in a day or
two we have quite exciting time
here once in a while thare is a
great deal of beer sold here
and the boys get tight and
then they get to fighting
thare is somebody gets in to
a fight evry day one of our
boys got almost killed yesterday
he got nocked down and then
they jumped on him and kicked
him in the face he could
not hardly see last night
I have not seen him this morning
he has kept out of sight thare
was one of the twenty fifth
boys shot last weak thare
was two of them got to making
a disturbince in a house and
the guard went to arrest them
they got one of them and the
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other one run the guard started
after him but he out run the
guard so the guard told him
if he did not stop he would
shoot him but he would not
stop so the guard hauld of[f] on
him and shot him through
the boddy the first time and he
dide be fore they got him to the
hospital it was a company A
fellow that shot him the twenty
fifth fellows say that they will
have revenge on him and shoot the
company A fellow you can see
what a little beer and whisky
will do I wish that thare was
not a drop of beer or whiskey
to be had for oficers or privates
and I wish that the first boat
that under took to bring enny on
here would sink before it left
new york harbor then we could
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take some comfort on guard
I wish that we was out of the city
I had wrather go on picket clear
out on the out side than to be
here in the city this is not a
fit place for enny thing but
nigers and officers to live in
and thare is a plenty of them
here to a niger is thought more
of here than a private when we
are on a march if a niggar has
sore feet or is a little sick he can
have a horse or waggon to ride on
but a poore private had to get
a long the best way he can you
must not think because I write
this that I am hom sick or enny
thing of that kind fore I am
one of the kind that never get
sick on a march and want to ride
I never was healthier nor enjoyed
myself better in my life than I have since
I have ben in the army A Holcomb