york town Va February the 20 year 1863
Dear Wife i have seated myself this evning
to drop you afew lines to inform you that i am
Well at present and i hope that these few lines
May find you Well and in peace and greates Joy
here is our News paper of york town news it is prin
ted once a week and the news of our douings is in
and verry nise peaces of poutry and i thaut that
you like to reed poutry still and so i Will
Send you our paper it only Costs one cent and if
i send it in aletter it Costs more than 3 cts and
so i Will send it this Way for printed for printed news
is only one cent further the troops is gathering
and Coming to our plase fast some from Bal
timore and now i guess Whe must go
to Baltimore as i rote to you some time ago
for to go in that fort and then i Will be
only 100 miles from home any more for our
Regment is a greate eal thaut of and Whe dont
Belong to abrigade and so they Cant make
us go to Battle unless Whe Want to go and
Whe are quiet men Who do our duty
and behave our self further here is to [two]
frigsions tubs [1] Which i Will send you to
see these are the things Wich Whe fire
our Canons of[f] still they are like a mach
they have powder in them and Whe take
and put them in the tuch hole as long
as you see they are and then Whe put
[Page 2]
a lite rope and fusing it to that rond
ring Which is at the end of that Wire
and give it a hard pull or Jurk and
then it Will go off and further our
meeting is still going on Whe have nine
morners yet and a hapy meeting and
last sun day i was on the other side
of the york river i took a nise ride
on the river i did not rite verry plain
this time or nise i Was in a hurry so
you must excuse me for my bad
riting fore this time so no more
for this time But i still remain you
r true lover and kind husband
and i pray for you still and i hope
you do for me still and for your self
so nomore for this time
Charles W Spire to
Susan Spire my true Wife
and my love
for you are verry near to
me
i Will love you nou in the
lords name Amen
Charles Washington Spire
Susan Spire
directions as before
to york town Va