Camp Dennison Mar. 29th 1862
Affectionate Wife I received your letter last
Friday but was sorry to her that you was so badley
afflicted but we must expect to have trouble
in this world of trouble I can sympatise with
you but that is all I can do wile we are separated
as we are now you must cheer up and take the world
as it coms for we can not make it any better by given
up to disappointed hoopes I know what
trouble is myself and I will make a confession
to you For everal years I have wanted to get away
from home (I called it home then) for nothing I done
or could do was wright and thare was allways some
complaint when I went away anywhere. And the
reason I did go was because I was not better treated
at home and to get away was a relief to me all I
wanted to have left home years ago was a chance
and means to get away with And now that I have
got away I hate to return and nothing would induce
me to onley on your acount. If I was out of this and
had the means to do any thing with or could get in
to any buisness I would send for you and have
you go where ever I went (If you would go) If you
knew the trouble that was on my mind when I enlisted
you would not blame me for doing as I did for I was
troubled in different ways and great deal on your
account I did not want to go and leave you but I
thought I could do no better. I do not blame my
Mother for any thing for she has always been as good
to me as a mother could be and you have always done
your duty and I flatter my self as any one else and
as few enemys Diana I make this confession to
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you because I think it my duty for if I did not
return you would assign it to some other reason
Diana open that old trunk upstairs in my bed room
And thare is any thing thare you want take it out
I think thare is some envelops and paper in thare
I was in such a flury the last time I was thare that
I do not know what is in it I did not get your letter
in time to write so you would get it Saturday if you
had sent you letter to the office Monday morning
before the mail went out I would get it wednesday
morning If you mail a letter at the Center Thursday
I will get it Sunday morning I am sorry you sent
me that money for you will kneed it before I will
if it was not for insulting you I would send it back
but dont send me any more but use it yourself
and get what ever you want with it that is what
I gave it to you for As soon as I get my pay I will
send it to you will not kneed for money to
get what you want for your comfort It rained
here all night last night and is raining this morning
with heavy thunde and lightning I think old
billy is Shoting at a target with his artillery
Well as to the news here we have had a change in
the last few days our third Battallion has got
here at last we mak quite a show on dress parade
with part of the Regiment on foot and the rest
on horse back this regiment can not be beat for large
men as a body they are all good sized men
But it is no go for our Col. told us friday that
we could never go in to the field as a Cavalry
Regiment Capt. Stanhope and sixty men of
his company left here friday to join the second
Cavalry in Kansas (they belonged to this Regiment)
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So there is onley 11 companys left of us and we will
not be together long Some of the boys did not want to go with
Stanhope and told him if he wanted to see his friends
he had better go and see them for he would never get
back they will be very apt to shoot him as soon as
they got a chance the distance from here is 1,000 miles
Porter Barns and Austin Bailey John Abell are
the onley ones in the company that I know
Part would liked to went home better than down
thare they will be divideed into squads after they
get dow thare ten or 12 in a company where
they have died off Frank Trunkey is in the same
company but he did not go with them I would
liked a chance to went with them but I could not
get it so I will have to stay here untill my chance
comes Our Damed old Col. tride to have us go
as an Infantry Regiment under the same
Organnation we are under now but he could
not do it Our Capt asked us if we would go
as a company and we told him No by God
we would stay here and rot first But if he
wanted us to go with him as cavalry we wer with
him When the Damed old Col. found out that
we would not go under him he tride to scare
us into it and told us if “we would not go in to
Infantry we would have a damed good time
getting our pay,, But he found out he had the
wrong set of boys to scare he got a few dams you
can bet and some of the hot heads were for turning
his shanty over with him in it but they took
a second thought that he has too much power
in his hands I dont believe there was ever a
Regiment cursed with such a damed old
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Swill tub as he is ther is not an office in
the Regiment that Speaks well of him nor
not a privet but curses him as a damed old
drunken curse he says we shall go in to service
if we have to goin pieces if he goes to hell
if we goin to service under him and he dont get
to hell it wont be my falt for dam his old soul
(if he has got any) he is not fit to live and it would
be serving our country in removing his damed
old carcass from the face of the earth. So you see
we do not know what is to be done with us nor
do I care a dam so we get rid of this damed
old bruit The fift Cavalry Regt. left here
this week for Kentucky so we are the onley Regt.
left here and we are not a Regt. now there is
a few batteries of Artillery left here, in all
about 1,500 men and when we came here
there was nearley as many thousand so
you see we are nearley left alone with the
damed body guard [1] Diana I will send you
a ring that I made out of a clam shell it is
not of much value to be shure But it take a great
deal of work to make them with the tools we have
here I can make one in a day and that is all I can do
Cale is in the Hospital as Stewart [2] he gets
twenty one dollars a month the Fowler boys
are all wright on the goose we have onley two
sick in the company Give my Respects to all
enquireing friend So good By for this time
I send my love to you and Mother
From you Husband to his Affectionate Wife Mit
Bine
tell Jeff I will write to him this week