Newbern Sept. 13th .1863


Dear Sister

Received
a letter from you this morning
dated Sept third and fourth
was glad to hear from
you and that you was
well this leaves me well
and in good spirits it is the
Sabath and a nice pleasant day
the bell is ringin for after noon
services but I do not go often
I came of[f] from guard this
morning we go on guard evry
other day now and I do not
feal mutch like goin to
Church George come this morning
he has grown fleshy since
he went away he says that
[page 2]
he had a good visit and
a good time in general
he was sober and all wright
when he came he had a
Canteen of whiskey so
treated the boys as far as
it went he brought a bottle
of bitters and a paper of
flag root for me the flag
is pretty good but I should
not think that the bitter
was enny good they do not
taste as they used to he says
that he did not fight but
one man while he was at
and that was Jerry Pixley
when Jerry went home George
owed him twelve dollars and
was to pay him the next
pay day Jerry left his note
with Lieutenant Fowler
george paid ten dollars
[page 3]
to Fowler and let the rest

go so when George was at home Jerry come down
and asked him for the
whole twelve dollars George
took the note and went
up to his brothers and
got the school teacher to
read it to him it was
on the note that ten
dollars was paid but Jerry
new that George could
not read so he tride
to play a gouge game on
him george catched him
by the throat and he
says that he would of
killed him if it had
not ben for his wife
and I guess that he would
I did not think that
of Jerry he and I used to
be good friends I took him
[page 4]
to be a pretty honest sort
of a fellow but I guess that
he is a scoundrell George
says that he would not go
home again for a thousand
dollars it is so hard to
part from his family to
come back you must excuse
this for thar is so mutch
goin on that I hardly no
what I am a bout

Alfred