Wheeling Island Va.. Camp Carlile
Sunday May. 18th 1862
Affectionate Wife I received your letter you
sent by Arthur and all the Grub you sent me
and am thankfull that you still have some thoughts
of me,, Although I have writen last I will write again
today. I presume it is not your falt that I do not
get a letter from you,, I suppose that my getting letters
from you is about over as we are moveing from place
to place you do not know where to direct it will be
a hard trial to me, but it cannot be helped
Diana I am going send home some clothes tomorrow
and those two blankets you gave me for I cannot cary
onley one blanket beside the horse blanket my under
clothes are to warm for this climate and stockings I cannot
ware here my feet sweat so, I go bare foot most of the
time,, you must excuse me for sending home dirty
clothes, I was going to wash yestarday (but as my dam
niger luck is to have some thing go wrong all the
time) I got kicked on the thigh in the morning when
I was over in Wheeling after some of our horses all
that saved me from getting,, my thigh broke was, I was
so close to the horse he did not get a full sweep at me
so it was as much as I could do to get around at all for the
rest of the day without washing My leg is a little
better this morning but sore enough yet to suit me
my clothes are all in the satchel but the blankets
I send them in Bob Leroys trunk and the satchel
with them the key to the satchel is in the trunk
Our Company and Binghams have got their horsees
sadles and bridle my horse is a mare. she would
make a good mate for Roe Hayes mare. but the little
bitch threw me of this morning. Co D. Capt. Barretts
will leave here to marow or next day, to go forther in to
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Dixie. We have orders to go to New Creek. wich is 250
miles from here it is between Romney and Winchester
we are in a poor condition to go in to an enemys
country for as long as we have been in the service
our horsees are green and know nothing about drilling
so it is about as much as we can do to manage them
they are not used to the report of fire arms espeshialy
where they have to have them shot on them,, but that
makes no difference now we are going and will
do the best we can we may be thenkfull we get to
to go at all after so much fooling around. But it seems
more like busness now than it did when we had to flat
foot it Diana I will send an other likeness in this
letter it is the onley one I have left you can do as
you like with it I did intend to send it to sis but as
they do not write to me I do not care whether she gets
it or not,, If we had our pistols and Carbines I would
get my likeness and send it to you and you could
give the one you have to your mother but it is dout-
-full whether I get it The letters wer all forwarded
from Camp Chase her and perhaps if you would
direct your letters here they would send them to us I wish
I could get,, one more letter from you if possible,, tell
Dick to write to me if he has time Tom owes me a
letter and Jaki[r?] to,, Well Diana my advice to
you is to take the war as cool as I do and you will
get along you are in no personal danger and I am
but I do not fear death if it should come to that
I have a presentinen that I am not going through this
war without something serious happens to me,, but I dont
want you to Borrow any trouble on my account for it
cannot do you any god and may do you hurt you know
it was my wish to go and it is now the one thing needfull
for me I will now bid you Good By for an uncertain
length of time Bill Tell as ever yours Diana