Beverly West Va
April 16 /65
Dear Mary .J. Compton
With fatherly respect to you I take my
pen in hand to let you know that I am
well I was out on gard yesterday &
last night it raned very hard last
night thare is lotts of Johneys coming
in 21 we let in yesterday thrue the gard
lines & we have let a bout 75 come
thrue here since we have been here
that has desurted the rebb army &
take the oath the bigest part that
lives here in rebles famelys yesterday I
took about a dusen to the prove marshel
office to make them there a legincy to
the united states guverment & we doant
let one pas the picket without a ritn pass
& if they have no pass we hand them over
to the prove marshel & then we go back
to our poast there is 3 at poast
& we stand 2 hours & then we ar off 4
hours & I am on 8 hours out of 24
[page 2]
& we ar on every 4th or 5th day
There Was very Bad nues came
here yesterday that Abe linken
was shot & dide at 7 oclock yesterday
morning I was very sory that it was
the case & the nues also came that
the one that shot him was taken up
He will suffer for it & they will
apt to be retaliateon for it
But however The Vice president
will take his place But the rebs
wont gane eny thing by it for
they will be more stricter with them
& the war Wont last enny longer
on the account of it
it has cleared off to day but it [snows?]
here a little Jane when you have time you
can be righting to me & you can send 2 [sheets?]
in 1 letter [??] of nues & you can answer all
of my letters what I want know what Hap[??]
& read the letters to your mother before you send
them so she now what is in them Tel me how the
[??] is lasting & how the little pigs is getting a
long & the cow & if you moved the beaurows
from MCcintires shop [1] & [now?] I must close
for this time be a good girl til I cum home
From your [???] Father John W Compton