Head Quarters Sept 11th /63

Dear Father & Mother Sisters
I set down to
write you a few lines to let you
now that I received your letter lass
night and was very glad to hear
from you I was sorrow to hear
that pap & mother was under the
wether so with them corbuncles
on them for they are so painfull
things for to have I have had them
and I now what they are they
say that they are worthe a hundred
Dollers I would draughter have the
money than to have one of them
Well I am pretty well now for
being out hear it keeps so drye
that it donte hearte me so much
as wet weathe dose as longe it
keeps dry I can get a long very well
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Well there is not much news hear now
I hear a good bit of cannaden off to
the right of us while I was writting
to Molley she is well and said she
had pap down to see her I suppose
he donte now wat to [do] with him
self for he wants to be at
worke and cant do it for he dont
like to see it laying a round about
him for the way I am now I dont now
wat to do with my self with out
I am writting for that is wat I
would like to be at all the time
for it makes me lazy to do nothing
but to take care of Hoarses while I am
in camp and when we are on the
marche I have got a nuf to do
to tend to them then. Well their
is a good meney conscrips comming
out hear now in the Regt It keeps
them busy Drilleing them now and
that is not a very nice job I tele you
for it is harde worke to do and some
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of them is so stubern that they
wonte learne to drill at all if they
could help it if they dont do it they
set them to ride a wooden Hoars
that we have got at the Head
Quarters hear for them it is about
8 feet hight to set in the sun all
day they donte like it much eather
after they ride it a day they think
that it is best to Drill than to ride
the Hoarse for if they get Drunk their
is not any thing for to hole on to it
as smooth as they can get it it is only
6 inches log about 6 feet longe put
up on twostakes about 8 feet hight
right in the sun if they go to come
down the Garde stick them with the
point of the Baynot and they dont
like it much I tele you. Well I
must come to a close for else I
wonts get it off in this mail
I will sent you some peaces
that I have cut out of the New
[Page 4]
paper if you would like to read them
Mother their is a tale in the Washington
Chronical the name is Eleanor’s
Victory written by Miss M.E.Braddon
I think it is a good peice to read
I would like to send it to you if I
could get the hole of it together
it is at the 49th chapter now I had
all of the papers the other day and was
save them up to send them to till we
ware out on that recnorteren party
and then the boys got the[m] and tore them
up so I cant get them together to send
them to you Well I must stop writting
now for the paper is getting playd out
So good by to you all and give my love
to all of my Friends that aske for
me So good by and love to you all
From your Son
Wm A Smith