[1] Ship Island Gulf Mexico [No Date, ca. February 1862]
 
                                        Dear Sister
It seams as though I must write
a few times to night to you or
somebody and it mint [2] as well
be you as eny body else  I am
well and tough and so is Eli
and all the rest of the boys frome
that way I have wrote a letter to day
to Warren and both of them will
probly start tomorrow  I write every
week and sometimes I write three or
fore a week and have not receved
but one and that wase frome
Henry Hammond  I gess I wrote
nearly thirty since we first came
here Eli hase had to letters come
here the much news here we dont
get much news frome the seat of ware
only flying stores [3] we haint had
[page 2]
eny fighting but we have seen
a good deale and all the fighting
has been on the water between
the Rebles gun boats and our boats
the have a fight every day or to
the[y] was one brought in a boat
with three hundred and fifty
thousan dollars worth of cotton on
board this was ninth time she
had run the blockade this boat
if eny body rembers as long ago
as last spring is called calhoun
and she lots of Government boats
all the summer calhoun
had more guns than our boat
had but thay want [4] so large the
calhoon was agoing to take our boat
which is caled the cyler [5] and the
cyler let them come up the cyler
had all of thair portholes shet up
and the Rebles though it would bee
a easy thing to take them but
just before thay did thay dident
[page 3]
for when they got in the right
place the cyler opened her
portholes and run thair guns
out and give them a broad
side which touck them down
if I were free frome the army now
the first thing I would do would
be to join the navy then I could
make something I sepose that the
folks think that shall never come
home but I shall be to home within
six twelve monts if not six
the[y] wase one out of the ninth Reg went
went to the General the other day and
told him he wanted a pair of shoes
and the old General told him his
shoes would last him till he
went home our Reg is well clothed
but the ninth some of the ninth Reg
are poorly clothed  we have a nuff to
eat and dont care for nothing but
what will come  we have to go
meating early Sunday and Eli is
[photograph of page 4 missing]