Shields Burough Sept the 24th 1861
State of Miss Handcock Co [1] 1861
Dear Brother I now seat my Self
to inform you that I am well at the
present hoping those few lines may
come Safe to hand and find you
and all the rest enjoying the same
portion of Gods blessings the rest of
the boys is well except Brit he
is not well he has bin sick all day
he has got the fever but is not bad
off with it I had a chil and fever
last week very tite my Self but
I am gaining at this time hen [2]
is well as common he has not bin
very Sound Since he as bin here
he has had the diareer a good eal
Since we come here we left Pass chri [3]
stian last wednesday and come to
this place it is a very purty place
but I dont know how long we
will Stay here we was just a
giting fixed when we had to
leave the pass we had got us some
wells dug and our perade groung [4]
Cleard off but oald Dalgreen [5]
got afraid of the yankes and made us leave
it all we sen some of the yankes boats
[page 2]
but they was afraid to come
out we have got our muskets
ready for them at any time
tel mamma that we have
got every thing we nead I have
never got a cent of money yet
all but a few of us got five dollars
a piece of our drill money when
we was in the city [6] from Satur eavning
tel tuesday eavning and I went all
over the place then we got on the
boat at four clock and landed
at Pas christian a four next
morning we had our election yesterday
to elect our field officers Captin
Goode is our Colonel and Captin
Carter is our Major now we
have to elect another Captin
in our Company I think Britton
Hall will git it I want him
to have it Bud you and all
the rest had better stay at
home for volunteering is not
a payable ocupation tell Willis
that we did not git our meal
he sent to us tell Sally to
be shore not to send my close
for I will come after them as soon as
I can so I must close I remain your
afectionate Brother un til death
[page 3]
you must rite to me soon
as you git this letter direct
your letter to S[h]ields Burough
Po Handcock co miss
so nomore at this time
Z M Price to
R F Price