Camp Barksdale
near Union City
Tennessee July 9th [1861]
Dear Sister
having a few
moments leasure time I write
you a line I wrote to Father
yesterday & I expect that you
will get it before this comes
to hand I sent it by John Gideon [1]
& this I send by Kit Dennis [2] &
George Cook [3] as they have ob-
tained discharges I received a
letter from Father this mor
-ning & was very glad to hear
from you all as I give out
the idea of any of you writing
any more I have wrote to
you & you have wrote but
one letter that I have got
I dont Know whether you
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have got my letters or not
I have wrote to you & Grand
-Fathers folks weekly & can-
not get any answers from
any of you hardly I wrote
to Jo Brown the other day
I hope he will not be so
forgetful as to not think of
me Sis we have plenty of some
thing to eat & that is very good
& I shall tell you some
thing new our mess made
a chicken pie the other day
it eat splendid but would
have been better though if we
had had some butter to
put in it
I am glad to hav to
report that the health of our
Camp is some what on the
improveing order there is
but very few new [??] & I expect
that we shall move to a spring
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near Corinth in a day or two
if we do I shall write you
immediatly & state the facts
&c&c Father was saying something
about an other box of provision
if it is so that you can make
it convenient I want the folks
that has a mind to to send a bottle
of whisky or brandy as it would
do any of us more good than
any amount of provision for
we cant obtain it here on
no occasion & if found in our
camp we are Court Marshalled
but we can keep it as our mess
are not the sort to get drunk
& kick up a dust if you dont
think it will do us ask Kit
& George, I firmly believe if
we had had plenty if it had been
in rations we would not
have been sick half as much
If we come close to Corinth
I am going to come home
in August or September
if not in actual Service
before that time & I really
dont believe that it will
be the case
Sis I send in this
letter a one dollar gold
piece I send it because of
its uncommon smallness
the first chance you have
you must have a pin put
to it Give my love to
Gran Father & family
& to all my neighbors &
enquiring Friends I close
by subscribing my self your
Affectionate Brother
Jes T Brown