New Orleans Sept 14, 1862
 
                   Dar Father & Mother
                  Sisters & Brothers
I receved the box you sent
me the fifftenth day of
this month and was very
thankful for to you for
your kindness all of you in
sending me such a
variety of things  the[y] wase
much more in it and
a great deal larger box
than I expected  the cakes
wase rather moldy when
thay got here but the
rest of the stuff kept
well  the pickle & a bottle
of bitters got broke and
that steamed the cakes &
pies on top but that did
not hurt the other things
[page 2]
you can see the efects of
the pies on this paper
some the hanker chiefs hve
molded up some but I went
to work and washed them
out in good shape  the box
got here just in the right time
to do me some good for the
day it got here I give up
doing eny thing  I began
to feel sick again but
I went to the Doctor and
he give me a metic [1] and
I have up a lot of stuff off
my stomach and then
I began to feel better and
I had been in the habit
of going to miss burnetts
pretty often and every thing
together got me down prety
weak but the chery and
loaf shugar sugar hase got
[page3]
me up in pretty good
shape again so I am
agoing to doing guard
duty again over the
rebbles  I have guarded
some prisoners for a month
I have made up my mind
to eat a thanks giving dinner
or supper next fall at home
and I shall do it if I
am alive and perhaps I
shall bee thar a little before
I aint allways a going to
stay in the sunny
south as some fools call
this part of the Country
I had rather have a ten
aeckers of land in the
north with a good well of
water on it than to have
the wole of New Orleans for
me to live on
[page 4]
Alvin Clark is agoing home
and I am agoing to send
this by him  he will probly
go and see you all and tell
you how things are prospering
here perhaps as well as I can
I am agoing to look around
to day and if can see eny little
cheap thing that suits me  I
am agoing to by it for some
of you  money is agetting
rather scarce amung the boys
now  I had not got out but
I found to dollars tucked away
in the box frome my dear old
marm and I hint spent a cent
of it yet nor I shant till I think
I need it
I cant write to all of you this
time to thank you for your
kindness seperately but I want
the whole to every one of you to
understand that I am greately
o[b]lidged to for every thing if it aint
wort more than a [jin?]
I shall have to bid you all a
good by now
                This From your Absent son
                                Jairus T Hammond