monday
Newbern N C March the 24th [1862]
dear wife i now Seat myself to Pen you a few Lines
hopeing that they will find you in good health and also the
Children i have Not Been well Since the Battle i have
had a Bad Cold and Soar mouth Last night i took a dose
of Sage tea and this moring i feell Better there is a good manny
and up in this division they have Been through enough that
Ses the Climate is not very healthty out here and we will
have to Be Carefull i have Sent you a Box with Some Rebels
things in it Capt hobs [1] Packed a Large Box the other day
to Send to ipswich and he told me that i Could Put mine
in his it will Be directed to Mr wait and you Can drop
a Line to Mr wait and tell him to Send it By Gillet
to you i Put a Labell on it with your name on it
and the Sheet and i want you to keep all But the Little
vases them you Can give to hattie there is a Splendid
volume in the Box Tom More [2] the Poets works i wrote
on one of the Blank Leaves where i got it there is Some
thing for Nelley and Lissy that Rebel Soldiers
Pitchure is a very good Looking one Better than they
average he was taken Prisoner i ment to have Sent
Some Shells But i fogot it well i must write about
Something else i Beleive i did not tell you
[Page 2]
in My Last Letter how manney whare kiled and wounded
in our Reg i will now there was nine kiled and forty
wounded in the division there were i think ninety
kiled and three hundred wounded it was a hard
fight But the Stars and Stripes Beat well i have
Seen enough fighting and i think that gen Burnside
expedition has done its Share and i think now
that our Brigade will Stop here gen Foster has Been
appointed Milatary govnnor on this Place and the
Citty is under martial Law the Regiment is to
wear Crape on the Left arm for thirty days in
Resppt Respets to Coll Merritt we Shall miss
him for he was a kind man to all his Body
has Reached Salem By this time i want to See Some
[????] Paper so i dont know what to do how do
you Like the Looks of Rebel Stamps and Paper it is Rather
Rough aint it Like all there Stuff we have got the
Printing office under way here the twenty third has the
[???] of that the first Papers where Printed Last
Satturday and a good manney have Been Sent north
E L D is in the office. the Editor is from Company I
and a number of other Printers the Paper is Caled
the Newbrn Progress the Yankees will make it
[Page 3]
Progress well i will now Close give my Love to
mother and Father aunt and hattie and all the
folks kiss the Children for me oh how i wuld
Like to kiss and hug them to day well write often
from your husband
Joseph Barlow

P S

i Send you a [few Locks?]