the
fort keys April 5 1862
Dear Mary I will write a short
letter to you I have been writing
to Martha a fiew lines and will
try and write alittle to you we have
got our pay at last I was in hopes
we would not get any till our time
was oute I could got along well enough
we got 4 ½ months pay mine come to
$77.06 I have sent you $70.00 I got
a draft on uncle Sam I did calcu
late to send it by express it would
cost 2 cts on a dollar to git a draft
it would not cost any thing and just
as safe if it is lost I can git another
one I want you to write as soon as
you git this and let me know I
have sent it to your father I thought
he would see to it as well as any one
it is not good to any one till his name
is on it Daniell Nicheols wanted to
send some we had to have $100 in
order to git a draft the draft
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is $ 110,00 you will have to pay
Mr Nichols $ 40.00 in green baks
you must not take nothing but green
backs for the draft it is the same
as the kind of money we got on the
subtreasury at New York city if you
want to keep it you can if you can
pay Dan I think you will not have
any trouble of giting it exchanged at
home I coud have sent it all I did
not know but I mint want alittle
I sent the draft Friday I guess it
has not gone yet we had the worst
snow storm yesterday we have had since
we left home the wind was in the north
west it blowed verry hard it was very
bad being oute we had the luck
to be on pickit we had a tuff one I
tell you the mail boat got drove
back it has left this morning it may
git through is not oute of sight yet the bay
is very ruff this may git thair as soon
as the one I sent to your father if you git
This before write as soon as you git it
if not before I will write you a good
long letter in a few days to pay for this
short one my health is good may this find
you same I send my love to you and
my Charley boy our time is getting shorter
every day that so mary write every thing
you can think off this from your Lyman
to Mary