Camps Chais Morgan Co VA January the 24. 1862
Dear Mary it is with pleasure i Sitdown to rite you a few lines
to let you no that I am Well at present and i hope these few
lines Will find you all ingoying good helthe We ar still inCampt
at Camp Chais and dont no When We Will move the mud is so
deep We Cant hardly get about Mary We got great neus here
a few dys a go the neuse Came here in 4 or 5 letters that gorg
Was dead and Was sent back to ohio I Would like to Know
Whou sent that neus back to trubl you all their if I
Could find out Whoo did it I Would not bee to good to send
a musket ball through his damd hart I expecte your
mother Was in an afful Way When she herd it and
all the rest of you Was trubld you Cant beleave eny of
the fliing reports that is going about We herd that the
neus Went back to ohio that the 66 was Cut all to
pises I got bad nues the other day that samuel Diltz Was ded
the last time i seen him Was at Camp Candy
the day We left their he sed he Wood go home
soon as he got better pore fellow he never
got better til he dide harmon tuck him home
yesterday pore same he Came a long Way to suffer
so Mutch an then die pore aunt rachel
it Will kill her I Know yes gorg is harty and
Well he has got over the measels he is on duty
a gain I am harty as I evry I Was so is bill and all
[page 2]
their is a great deal of sickness her in camp now but our boys in
Company I is generly Well [rast?] is getting Well fast our regment
is now the provost regment We dont haft to stand picket
gard eny more since We have bin prmoted to provost We ar
Jenerul Lander Body gards our regment is that is the
reson We don haft to stand gard that is picket gard
Mary I got a letter from Mother the other day she is in
great trouble about me going to War she sed I ot to
hav stad at home With my Wife and babes they Was
all Well their I got a letter from uncle Thomas Newel
in ioway he Wants me to rite to him evry Weke
and tell him all the neus Mary you must rite
to Mother often Mary this is the darnds plase I evry
Was I hav not seen but one Women for six Weeks I
have furgot how they look their is one Wench
her Clos to Camp I had a Chat With her the other
day I met her at the spring Wher We get Water
Mary I Would like to know Whi you dont rite oftener
I have Cum to the Conclusion you have fergot Me intierly
I have rote you 10 or 12 letters and have not got but
2 letter from you I Would like to see you all very
mutch I Would give eny thing in the World to see
you and the Childern I hope I Will see you all
befour long I dont think the War Will last long the
rebels is about plaid out I think I Will be glad how
soon for I Want to get hom to see you all
so bad I dont no What to do Mary send
1] mee a lock of your hare if you pleas and emmas and [??]
[page 3]
Mary I Wish you Would get me a pair of boots if
you can get the money With out to Much trubel
the mud is so deep here that I Cant hardly [?] step
out but What I Will I get in the mud nee deep
purty near you Can get them and put them in a
box and express them to Cumberlain I Cant get
boots heer that is Worth enything for less than
six or sevn dollars and I have not got eny
Money eny how I thought We Would have bin
paid off before this time but it hant
Cum yet they say We Will get it the first
of March but I dont know how it Will be
Mary if you dont get them easy and With out
Mutch truble I tont Know that you have eny
Chance to get them it is bad to Wair soo shoos
here and my boots is about Wore out I have Walked
so Mutch since I Caim here Mary you must
be shure and rite to me soon and often for
I like to here from you so Well tell your
pap to rite to me soom letters I Would like
to have him rite to me it is a hard sight
to get stamps here I have to send some
letters Without them I Was garding a secesh
prisoner the other night I had a great
deal of Chat With him he is a regular
old bushacker they brot one in the
other day Was home on furlow but he got cat [caught]
[page 4]
they dont stand mutch chance here for their
is about 16 or 17000 men in camp here no[w?]
it is a nise site to get on a high
hill that is close by and look over the camp
We had a big time one Washington birthday
We Wair all out on Dress peraid and the old
cannons rored their is 54 pieses of cannon
here now Mary I Want you to be shure and
rite to me son Dear Mary pleas send
me your minature I want to see you so bad
I dont no What to do you must kepe in
good hart dont get dscourage I am
Well and harty but not satusfid
all the time I get home sick some
times I getting get to thinking about you
and the rest and I get down in spirets
but you must not for I Will be
home be fore longt Mary you must
excuse my bad riting I have
not a good Chance to rite lik I
had at home I will have to cum
to a close With my letter
be shure and rite soon
no more this time good by Deary
Joseph Diltz to Mary Diltz good by good by
good by to all think of [??] and me When
you sit down to your biskets and buter
[2] We live [???] [hard?]