Virginia Dec th 21 1862
Dear sister
I take the oppertunity of riting A
nother Letter I am quite out of hart
of riting I havent received A Letter from
home Sincee I have been in survice
and the rest of my tent mates have
all riceived Letters from home
we are still at Camp suffolk virgin=
=ia and thare is no expecttation of any
fiting the hole company is well but
the excepttion of two or three are
complaning of cold
we lay with in twenty or twenty four
Miles of from the enemy thay lay at
at black water
I Shant tel you much About virginia
it as cold and frosty after night
and in the middle of the Day it is
quite warm so that we can go
with out A coat
[page 2]
Dear Sister I must tel you some
News from old Tinicum [1] for it
Appers that I havent got anny
frends thare that can tel me anny
for I understand that Mr John
Reefe was married to Isabella Wil=
=liams and also that Mis Rabecca
Persal had A young Soldier
I cant give you much more news
from old tinicum for you dont
give me anny
I would like to now how my
Dog Joseph was coming on and
weather Louis worman brout
my boat home and also About
my Mules
I am well and hope that
these few lines may find you
and the rest my sisters and brother
and Father and mother the same
and so I must bring my Letter
to A close
[page 3]
I wrote the first three Letters
to Saluma and one to Lavina
and one to Luis worman and two
to Clayton Smith and one to
Abraham Fluck and one to William
McCow and one or two to
My sweeat hart no more at
Pressent my pen is poor and my
ink is pale and my quil came
out of A Ladies tail
Your brother Elias. W. Gilmer