No 13 Near FredrickburG Jan 10th [1863]
sut Va

Deare Wife As there is no drill saturday and it
Rains I will Comence a Letter that money you
Sent me I. had qurt a bit I. BouGht a half
A Pound of Chees for 25 ct quarter lb. Buttur
For 13 ct 2 Appls 5 cts a peaice 10 ct. I Paid Otis
25 cts I. am in det to Otis 23 ct to another
Man 25 ct. I. hate to ask For money but
I. hope we Shall be Paid of[f] before Long
We have not moved from this Place yet. to
Day we had oinions Dealt out I. thouglt
I. would try some Fryed we had 3 Larg
4 small ones I. liked them so well I.
Cooked some more I. Shall Cook the
Reest to night or to morw moring how
Should you like to Sleep with me
When I. Git home I expect I Shall
Cook my own Grub out doors sleep
out doors and when I Come in to the
Housh to Git dwon on my knees and
Creep in Make my Coffee in dipper
Eat salt Poark and hard tack I. Shall
[page 2]
Excpt Expect to heare every minunet
Fall in stik tents Pack every
Thing be ready in 20. min. to march
William was heare monday well as
uasul rather thin his rigt was orderd
to Cross the river to ford it they had
to up to waist in warter that Cold
Night Jan. Dec. 30.th. march a long wasy
Go Back aghain Lay dwon in the Cold
It was the hardest time time he has seen
Did you have eny oinions this year
I. expect I Shall want a Lot next year
I have eat a Good Deall to day but I am awful
hungary I have Beef Steak hear side of me
All Cut up and Pork ready to fry for
Supper but it rains so I think I
Shall have to eat hard tack drink
Cold warter. I Guess I will Come
in and eat with yow Back Beans and
have some Mince Pie it mackes my hart
Ache to think of mince Pie I have not
Seen one sence I. Came from Camp Santon
how I sould to Git hold of one
[page 3]
Sunday 11th it stopt raning Last about super
time I. Cooked my Beef Steak and
Hard tack this moring oinions this noon
I Bought a Loaf of soft Beard and made toast
With a Little Buttur that I had to night
I. Shall fry oinions Buttur is 60 cts lb
Chees 50 cts Just as happen half the tim
It Cant be Got at all but I Got no money
Thay sell 9 Cookeys for 25 ct about the same
As houes we had a Comtibal time Larst
Night we did not Git wet whilst others
did I Sleppt Sleept very well Otis
And I. hou did Lester & Alty Like there
Letter It seems wicked for me to spend so
Much money when but my faimly
Need it but you Cant Git much
A dollar I. Shant have to Slap Annarak
Now for I wrote that before I. New she
Sent eny thing in that Box that Parseve
Was very Good I thank her very much
to rember of Poor soildir out heare in
Barran Land whar there is but very few
Good houshes and the rest Log houshes
with the Chimy out side the housh
[page 4]
I am very sory to say
Beney Pratt is in the hospital tent
Sick of the Pluresy Complant [pleurisy]
he wants you to thll tell his wife
that he is sick I. hav Just Come
from ther he says he has a Comtabel
Place and Good Care She need
not worrey about him for we
Shall visit him often and we
Shall try to Git what he wants
they hav a Stove there and it
Feells warm there. I wish you
Whould write oftner the mails
Comes ey every day it makes . me
feel Bad when I do not Git one
but onec a week I Got your
17. 18. send the Boots and Box soon
As you Can kiss for all the
Boys Good by
James Pratt
[in lower left corner]
you Can send by
Kingsly exprss
or Harndens eprss