Camp Jefferson Ky
Feb the 3 1862
Dearest and beloved
wife it is with much
pleasure that i again take
my pen in hand to let you no that i am well
at presant and do cincerely hope those fiew
lines will find you and our dear ones the
Same i recieved two letters from you yesterday
and was glad to learn that you ware all
well and in one i found eight postage
Stamps i return you my thanks for them
they came in good time i ondly had
five onhand and no money to buy anny more
with you wanted me to get my likeness
taken but their is noone here that
take them so you will hav to wait
untill i can get a chance you wanted
me to tell you how i liked your
long letters i answer i liked it verry
mutch and was glad to learn that
[page 2]
righting to me cured the headache
for you i hope that you will right to me
every time you get the headache
i Just sent you a letter the day before
i got your letter and i Sent you Some
verses you must tell me how you
like them i think they are verry nice
and i could not hardly right them
without crying they are so tutching
to a man that is So far from his home
and his loved ones at home i would
like to Se you and the children
derly you are constantly in my mind
and last knight i dreamed of you
and the children oh that my dream
could be realised i would do me more
good than anny thing else in this
world you and the children are all
in this world to me i love you
derly better than my Self i loved
you from the first time i Saw
[page 3]
you and determined to make
you mine and Still cherish that
love in my hart and i no that you
love me and that makes me happy
but it would be heaven on earth to me
to be at home with you a gain
i am tired of a soldiers life you
told the truth when you said
that you would bet that if i would
tell the truth iwould Say that
i was tired of war after i get out
of this Scrape i will take your
advice you can se further a head
than i can i will Send you Some
money as Soon as we get our pay
and then you must help as mutch
as you want dont rob your Self
to pay anny boddy for that is
more than they would do for
you i dont want you to starve
your self to pay anny boddy
[page 4]
i sent you a song in this letter
it is the red white and blue
you must learn it to Sis so that
She can sing it for me when
i come home [??????????] creek we hav had a grateel of rain
here this winter and it is araining
here to day and it is verry muddy
and cold and disagreable the
hicksville boys are all well
there is one drummer and fifer
has to Stay at the [gard?] quarters [??]
every day and i hav to stay there
to day as drummer John galliher is
on gard to day as ondly [???] at the
gard quarters every [???] [????]
ondly about ten [at a time?]
and at knight [i can come?] to my tent
and go to Sleap and the gards hav
to stay up all knight and get no
Sleap
[upside down at top of page]
a musician has the easyest times
i would rather drum for 12 [1] than
be a private and get 13 [2]