Camp near
wasingtone oct 31 1861
my Dear wife
I now take the pleasure
of writing a few lines
to you hoping thay will
finde you all in good
helthe as thay leave
us all at present
I receved your letter
yesterday saying
you ware all well
but anney i hope
this will finde her
well also we are
now at or near
forte cockran it is
only a few [minnets?]
walk from the cittiy
of washington it is
a verrey prettey
[page 2]
ground fore an in camp
ment high and helthey
we expect to get
pade off in a day or
tow as soone as the
ridgement gets to
geather thay are
calling it to geather
but fore wat perpers
we due not now
thay are very strict
witch us just now
we hav a new Conal
and mager i beleve
the cumpeney offocers
are all tow under
gow an exemanashen
before we leve hear
thay think a good
menney of them
will be put out
of the service
[page 3]
we had a secesh
prisner fetch in
our camp
yesterday sum
of our cumpeney
tuck him into
jale he was
dreste very purely
he is one of the
firs soldgers we
hav sean we
ware glad to se
one so that
we would now
them agane he
had a canteen
or we could not
hav tolde him
from sum lofer
he says we never
shall git to manasa
[page 4]
he says thay hav
one hundred and
sixtey thousand
1.60000 down thair
he got over our lines
in a mistake it was
a good mistake
giv my best respects
to jim and Mary
ann Nutal i would
like to bee thair at
Christmus i expect
he will be marred
then i beleve
i got all them
stamps you sent
me i should hav
wrote suner but
i wated fore to se
about them things
thay ante in washington
your Husband
W Band