No 3

Fort Sumner May 29th/64
Dear wife and Children with pleasure
I take my pen in hand to inform you
that I an Frealin are well and harty
I hope to here in your next that you injoy the
same blessing I said in My second No
that I would right 2 a weak tho
I am a pore hand to right letters
and it is a task for me but seaing
this is the onley medium through
which I can converse with you
I will brake my self in at onse
we are still at Fort Sumner on
the bank of the Pertomac this
is a Large fort of 40 guns and
a bout 1000 men all of which are
quortered in the fort we are all
buisy we drill in squads all fore
noon in the after noon Batalian
drill and dres perade and about
evry 2 day we are on Picket or camp gard
[page 2]
The gard duty is not as hard as
the drill but if I keep well I can
stand it our Bord is as good as can
be Epected but still it is not home
it seames to me I never can lern to
be a soldier the sacrifice of home
and friends society and Religion
privliges and a hundred & one other
things all of which make the soldiers
life disagreeable to me but not
with standing all that if we get home safe
I still think it will pay I mean
what we will see in the trip
Thare are a great many wounded soldiers
at washington and others are being
brought in daly you now nothing
about the horrors of this awfull war
we pased through 2 or 3 towns that
was all most destroyed and burnt
up saw several battlegrounds
an hundreds of farms with out
fence or crop all desolate
[page 3]
This is sunday May the 29 a plesant day
I was at church or meating in the grov
an heard the Chaplin try to preach
it was a dry thing I shall go again this
after noon at 3 oclock it is almost that
time. I will finish my letter after
I come back I shall resume my pen
I was over in the grove to preaching
Mister Deal preached a short sermon
and the chaplin prayed to much
for me and no power I shall close
by saying a few things to you in
referance to your work you shold
see in time to geting some one
to help harvest if the wheat
comes out any you wont be able
to take care of it I want you
to save evry bit of it if you can
mow that clover on the Shultice
place and all that is worth any
thing in the orchad and them
[page 4]
fields next foxes Cut the barley
as soon as it is ripe and do the best
you can in raising corn and
Saving the crop Boys I would
Say to you be good boys and
obey and reverance your mother
What I say to one I say to all
Grane will be very high and
Scarse wheat it is thaught
will be worth 3 or 4 dollars
Per bushel and the more
you save the more youl have
I will close by saying
if you wish any instruction
when you right you can
ask in your Letter
Fair Well to all
Wright Soon
Direct To Rev F R Hood
washington D C Co I 151 Reg
O n g fort sumner
your very Truly F R Hood
to wife and children