on Board ship Idaho off Willmington north carlina
fifteen miles from Shore Sunday Dec 18th 1864
Dear wife
I thaught I would write you a fiew
lines and let you know that I am all [sound?]
and well we have been on board this Boat
ten days today we came aboard on the 8th
we left fortress montore on the morning of the
13th and Steamed Right up the potomac towards
washington and we all thaught we was
going north But when at mathias point forty
miles B[elow?] washington we turned Right
around and went Back towards fortress
montore andanchored near cherry stone
point twenty miles from fortress monroe
and in the afternoon of the fourteenth
we started again for Sea we Run two nights
and one day and arived Here and here we
lay yet sometimes we are forty miles
from Shore and Sometimes nearer I dont
know what the Reason is that they dont
put us on Shore we are nearly owt of
water and will Soon have to go Some[???]
[page 2]
to get water it is as warm as it is in
june the sun shines and the Sea is as
calm as can Be Scarcely a wave stiring
it seems strange to us to See summer
weather in the middle of december I never
seen nicer weather in the summer than
we have here now we are stowed as thick
as we can Be on this Boat and there aint a
man aboard But is lousy you would
laugh to see us on deck with our Shirts
off picking the Boddy lice off of us we have
kept clear of them until we came on this
Boat But since we got on here we have all
got them we haint got no mail since
we left fortress monroe and probably
wont get anny letters in a long time
I dont know when I will get a chance to
send this letter off But when I do I will
send it if we go ahore after water I
will get a chance to send it probably
I guess we will go to hilton Head after water
I hope they will keep us down here until
spring for it aint Could down here you
must write often and direct washington
DC and they will follow us no more
at present From Harrison Nesbitt
company F 203 Regt Pennsylvania Volunteers