Fortress Monroe Virginia
Jan the 12 th [1862]
Dear wife I Sit down to Let you know where i am you will
See that we have got out here we Set Sail on the morning
of the 9th we had a very Pleasant Pasage to this Place the
fleet Looked spelnded as it Pased out of the harbor how
Long we Shall Stay here i dont know But i think not
Long this Place is a great naval one the Frigate
Minnesota and [???] smart of war Ships it is
one hundred and eightty from anapolis to this Place there
is Some Sickness on Board of the vesels the measles
and Bad Colds i think By the time you get this we Shall
Be among the Rebels it is a good deal warmer here than
it was at anapolis we have got about for hundred and
Fifty men on Bourd and there is a Perfect hubbub all the
time dear wife i Shall have to Be in a hury for
the Boat is going on shore to Caray the Letters
Look in the Paper and See where we Land
and then you Can tell how to See
them So good By for the Present
from your husband
Joseph Barlow