New Orleans Aug 18th 1863

Dear Father & Mother
It hase been some time since
I have had aletter now frome
eny of you the last letter
I receved wase frome Nancy
but I have no reason to complain
for I haint wrote meny lately
myself we have been a moving
every few days and we are
on duty most all the time
and so I dont get much
time to do eny thing
but to look after myself
I am in good health now
and feel first rate I begin
to think that I shall bee able
to stand it through we have
got just forteen monts to
serve frome to day and that
[page 2]
will pass of[f] in time but it looks
a good ways a head yet
I witnessed a sight the
other day that I never thought
when I wase to home I
should ever see I saw a
man shot by the sentance
of a Cort Marshal I stood
and looked on through the
whole performance all the
Soldiers whithin a certain
number of miles had to bee
present I never saw a man
wihth so stedy a nerve
as he had he never showed
the least motion of fear in
the least after thay
had got every thing reddy
to shoot him he stood up
by the head of his coffin
and said what he wanted
to say then dropped down
on his knees facing the men
[page 3]
that wase to shoot him and
told them he wase reddy to
die then Capt Pickerin
of our Regt went and
tied a hankerchief over
his head his hands wer
chained behind him all the
while then the Capt gave
orders to the guard to onfix
thair baynets then orded [them?]
aim and the prisoner never
moved a hair then his next
order of wase fire and thay
did the wase twelve of the
deatale eight guns wer
loaded with balls and fore
with blank catridges and
seven of the eight balls
strouck him two went through
his heart the[y] is to bee one
or to more shot before
long I hear and I shall
go and see them shot
[page 4]
this man that I have been
tellin you about shot the
Major to the 28 Main Regt
he wase a native of this place
and folks say that two years
ago he killed his wife and child
I had as lives see such men
shot as not I have seen to men
shot one by axedent and one
on purpose and I can stand
and see more just such
men shot as this fellow wase
that wase shot the other day
the[y] is some talk of our going
to Port Hudson but I dont know
how true it is our Company
is guarding provisions and
ammunishion amernishun at
in a cotton press the[y] is
eny amount of powder here
anough to shoot all the game
the[y] is in the whole Unite States
I believe that I cant think
of much more to write and if
did I doubt whether you
could red it or what I have
wrote eather for it bothers
me to read it myself
Write soon as you
get this or eny time you
are a mind to good by
This frome Jairus