the
Bermuda Front March 16 65
Dear wife I take this opportunity
to inform you i am well at
this time and my prayer is that
these few lines may find you
and the children in the same
state of helth i have not
received eny letter from you
as yet i think it a long time to
here from home i hope you will
not forgit to rite to me as that
is all the cumfort i can have
from home for a while rite every
male if you can as it is only once
a week if not it makes it about
three weaks without eny answer i would
like to here from home every
week or two the wether is warme
[there?] and windy the dust flyes
sometimes that we cant see
eny distance we have a goodeal of
duty to dew here we hafto drill
and due picket duty
[Page2]
and camp gard and fatig
duty that is making in
trenchments or fortification

Thursday night the 16 Cum in from
camp gard and received your letter of
the 5 it is 8 oclock at night
I red it over and felt happy
and thankful that you are all
well and my daily prayer is that
your health may remain good
tell the childern i am glad to
here they are good i hope they
will remain good and kind to
each other and there mother
may god bles them and you
my dear wife is my humble
prayer this night i felt happy
to here from you that you are all well
there is a gratedeal going on here
but not anuff to take my thoughts
from home or from above the lord
is with me i feel his presence
[page 3]
when i lay down at night and
in secret pray to him who
sees in secret i feel happy and
contented i always remember
you and childern in my prayers
let us make it a subject of prayer
that this rebellion may come to a close
and we may soon return to our happy
homes agin the lord says again I say unto
you that if two of you shall agree on earth
as [louching?] any thing that they shall
ask it shall be done for them of my
father which is in heaven
so let us due our part and god will
do his I am glad you can feel contented
it was atrouble to me I thought you
wood not be I am verry glad to here
so it is the opinion of all here that
the war will end soon or this somer
sumtime I hope it may be so I would
like to be at home with my family
I am not discontented here but I wood
like to be at home with my family
[Page 4]
tell Ellie I am glad to
here she is a good child and her and
here mother prays for pap wen he is
afar off from them but thare is
nothing impossible with god I feel
stisfide he will bring me safe home
agin I am glad Lizzie is a good girl and
has lirnt to read and that Martha
and Emma has all ben good good girls
the good man looks down and smyles
with a blessing on good childern
I am glad your clock dus well and that
you have got a wash kittle if your letter
was maild at bruce on the 11 an come to
me on the 16
if you are not well this somer as you
thought I want you to be verry verry
careful not to lift or do anything that
will hirt you be very careful the childern
can do all the work if you cant all you want
in one day leave some for the next days i must
close may god bless you an childern an take
you in his care fare well dear wife F H Benson

[1] if there is a draft let me no all you now about it
[2] please excuse the first part of this letter
[3] I mean Lizzie is all right
[4] you will see I had commensed riteing in the morning and received
yours on the same evening