General Hospital April 29th/63
Dear Father & Mother
I take this oppertunity of informing
you that I am not any better than I was when
I wrote to you before I am at the General Hospital
now and It is a hard Old Pleace to live hear we
get a half a loaf of Bread a day and tea or coffe twice
a day that is water be witch and at noon we get
a cup of soope that is imatations with a peace of meat
as big as a walnet for our Dinner so that is gay
liveing for a man sent hear to get strong. I cant write
you a long letter for I have not got but one sheet of
paper to write to you an Sister Molley so I will
have to make it short I think it will do
to let you now whear I am and let you
now that I am not I[n] the battle and I
wonte be in it if I donte get better than I am
The Regt went to the wright on the 25th and I
ant heard from them yet but I hear a good bit
of cannoden hear they are laying the Bridge
a cross the river at Fredricksburg their is a
good bit of cracken going on but we have no[t]
heard any thing from the front yet to tell
how they are getting a long but they are
going to put Bridges over in about 9 pleaces an[d]
tack them on the wright and left and sente[r]
all at once so I think they will
have a [hot?] time of it while I am writting
I can hear the cannan shooting and way it
sounds thar it is getting pritty hot their
I cant write any more now I will write to
you soon again as I hear from the Front
if I can get some paper to write on for
[Page 2]
they have payd the Rigt off but they sent
me of to the Hospital be fore I got my money
and I donte now weather they will come
hear or not to pay us off or no So good by
to you all and my love to all of you and
Mrs Apple and Anty & Beckey Joyce and tell
Anney that I will write to her some time
a gain
Direck your letters to
General Hospital
1st Division
2nd Army Corps
Near Brooks station
Va
and donte put on the
number of the Rigt a tall
or else it will go to the
Rigt and not com hear
From your Son
Wm A Smith