the
Newbern NC Oct 23 1862
Dear Father and mother
i [t]hought as i had a few leisure
moments and there was a boat
going our in a few days i would
wright a few lines to let you
know that i am right smart
as usal hoping of you the same
it is so long since i hurd from
you i should think that you
had forgotten me but i have not
forgotten old [shadskin?] John has
not wrote but once since [i wer?]
here i should think he might
wright oftener i received your letter
stateing that you had sent the
box as much as ten days ago
i should think and last night
there was a boat came in from
newyork i ex pected letters and
[page 2]
the box but got neather that
was hard i hadent the least
doubt but that i should get
box there was a company came
for the fith rhode island reg i was
on gard when they came a long
i challenged the and they sed there
was a man on picket duty they
are building large Quanties of bar
ocks up on the fair ground i hear
there is a number of rejiments
coming here and we have gotto
start ower bots befoar a great
while but it is unsirtain
but whare whare we do go the
will smell it i should do
my share for them i was on
gard day before yesterday to the
new prisen whare they keep
the rebel prisoners the owders
wer not to let out but
two at once in the daytime
[page 3]
and one in the night without
somebody went with them i went
out with one and we got into
Quite a talk he told was they
forced him into the rankes
he sed they came to him
one day and told him
he might enlist or they
would force him in and
if he would enlist they
would give him thirty days
furlow he sed he though he
would enlist for he might
stan achanse to escape for
he hadto come pretty near
ower lines to get his clothes
so ower pickets took him as
a prisoner he sed he thought
if he came ocer her he would
get peroled and then they
would let him alone [???]
they asked him about takeing
[page 4]
the oath of aleagence he sed
all he had got in the world
was within the rebels lines
he sed he was inhopes we should
make a nother trip intocuntry
and precure his propity then
he was willing to take the
oath he sed he could stand
upon his dying thron[?] and take
the oath that he never would
Stike a blow against the govern
ment there is twenty two in all
he sed there was four of them in
all that was union men he
sed the others would turn
there hats rong side out and
nock them round he sed he
should rather gointo jeol then
stay there with them i will not
say eny more about sesecuindum
for my paper is about filled there was
a man that came out when i did that
got to sleep on his post the crime is
[1] death but they dont always do it
they send them into afoart
to stay three years iwill draw to a close to good by wright often
James