New Orleans Nov 27 1862

Dear sisters
Good after noon sisters
and Brothers all the rest
of you I dont pretind
to know how meny the
is of you now I have
almost lost the run of
things it is Thanksgiving
to day and I think
it seams a good deall
like it to good salt
horse [1] for supper little
bread and tea is good
a nuff for eny man
it will fat a man
more than enything
he can eat I had
rare [2] have it than all
the beef stake the is
in the world
[page 2]
last year I had a
thanksgiving supper
out to sea on board
of the Constitution
and a grand supper
it wase to about the
same as this one will
bee gess then we had
some nice sea busket[3]
biscuit and salt horse
and Coffee the cooffe
wase mad out of condenced
watter that is water
salt water worked over
a little oh if it aint
nice take it when it
is about milk warm
I have drank lots of it
I had a great deal rather
have it than dish water
it fats a man more
live longer on it
[page 3]
I dont know but that
let thanksgiving suppers
go for present and go
to talking about something
else I have wrote to a
letter to Mother to day
and wrote to have
my old blew shirts
sent me if thay ar
worth eny thing
for eny such thing
costs more than thay
are worth twise over
and if thay would not
pay to send I told her
to have you make me
some I dont know but she will
think she could make
them as betsy and I dont
care who does but I hapened
to think of you first and
and I want them made with velvet
triming so thay will bee
[page 4]
diferent frome eny
thing the rest have
got I dont know but Isabel
and Nancy think hard
of me for not writing to
them oftener but tell them
I cant write it is the
hardest job for me to write
you ever see you all can
read my letters and I
should think that would do
I calulate [4] to write to Father
and mother as often as
I can get a letter through
Abby I want you to find
out whether Jo Spencer
is a living or not if you
can and let me know
I dont sopose he is thay have
had so many fights I should
think he must get killed
before this time and here
we bee been gone over a year
and I haint seen a man yet that
dared to say he wase a rebble
only some prisoners and some of
them wase clear grit
I have got to stop now
good by write often
give my best respects to all
this frome Jairus
[5] tell Nancy and Isabell I will
write to them soon