Sunday May 11th 1862
Camp. Chase.
Dear Wife..
I received your letters
and was glad to hear from you. But I am sorry
that you are unwell I hoped by the time this reaches you
that you may be enjoying good health we are
all liable to be sick, and it is no use to complain
against the dispensation of Providence. I am
enjoying good health at present, but there is
more sickness in Camp now, than there has been
since we have been in the service. Cale says they
are going to have dress Parad at the Hospital for there
is more of the Bloody sixth there than there is in
the tents. Our Company onley reports 40 men
able for duty out of 90 ,,One of ar boys died last
week at home,, his name was ,, Oliver Carpenter
One of Capt. Bingham’s men died in the Hospital
last monday three hours before he died the Doctor
Pronounced him not dangerous Oliver Hall &
George Hayes have been sick for a week ,,they have
not gone to the hospital yet,, I think the root of all
evil,,Money,, is the cause of a good share of the sick-
ness some of the boys have been drunk almost all the
time since they got their pay ,,And the camp has been
full of pedlers every since,, they heard we had money
Pies,,Cakes,,Oranges,,Lemons,,Milk,,Butter,,Lettice,,
Onions,, and in fact every thing to get our money
and some of the boys are living on the top shelf, and
this change of diet I think is the cause of most of the
sickness ,,There is so many of our men sick that it brings
those able for duty on guard every other day ,,Well,, Diana
we have orders from General Fremont to report to
Wheeling amediateley this was read to us on parade
last Friday we have orders from Col. Loyd to be ready
[page 2]
Bill Tell to Lidy [added upside down at top of page]
to start Tuesday next we are to be payed off again
before we go ,,this payment will be up to the first of
May,, which will be 26 dollars a piece I will send
mine to you in the same way I sent the other
if I have time before we leave here ,,you can do what
you think best with it,, I want you to pay Dick the
interist on that note and pay tom for that satchel
I got of him and be shure you make them take it
So if I never come back it will be all strait in this
World and the next ,,If you do not want to use all of the
money Perhaps Dick will take it to speculate on and
be responsible to you for it,, so if any thing should happen
to him it will all be strait ,,or if he does not want it
berhaps he will find a place for it Diana you will
find a Black Monky in closed Please give it to
Mother,, I sent one to you and and one to Maria in
a letter I wrote to Tom last week ,,I have one for
,, Sis,, but will not send it untill they write to me for
I wrote last to her and Charley I will send one to
day to Jule and when we get the rest of our epuip-
-ments I will send you someting a little better,, You
will find also a ,, secesh,, ring in this letter if it does
not fit you let me know I bought it of a live sesh
through a hole in the Prison wall ,,I must be brief this
time for I cannot send much paper and these pixtures
too You can do as you choose about about writing
to me here or wait untill you hear from me again for
we are almost certain of leaving the fore part of the
week the letters will follow the Regt,, but no telling
how long it will take to reach us when we get down
in ,, Old Virgina Neber Tire,, I began to think we would
never go and almost wished myself in Hell and had
the money for my Clothes ,,But now we go for certain,, the
Cars have been Charted to cary us through I. Bid you
good by from Camp Chase ever yours Bill Tell