th
Jan 22 1863
Camp Hope nere Wilminton North Carolina
Dear wief I Seat my self this
morning to rite you a few lines this
leaves me only in tolerable health
hopeing it will find you all well
the weather is powerful bad it is very
cold and cloudy it looks very much like
it was going to snowing we dont see
a hard time nobody never will we get
a bout half a nuff to eat and that
is very sorry what we do get we get
a pint of coarse corn meal and a
½ pound of old Rusty Bacon
Shoulder at that our mess generally
has had a plenty but we have
had it to buy at powerful high
prices to I am in a with Nath and
we have taken in John Maxwell
& [Saghn?] Mclaritey John cooks for
us we baught us Turky Gobler on
yesterday we had to pay five dollars
for it chickens is worth [120?] a piece
Sweet potatoes 3 to 4 dollars a bushell
bacon [70?] cts lb flour [23?] cts lb
[page 2]
and ever thing elce according
we could live the best kind if our
money would hold out but it wont do
it I Recon you think strange the
reson I dont send you money home
but Margaret if I do I will suffer
for something to eat and you
told me not to send it home if I neaded
it and under the circumstances you no
I nead it it was in my power
wonce to have got a substitute and
now it is out of my power to get it I all
ways shall regret not getting one and
then I could have bin at home
with you and my oppinion is
that we will fineally be perished out
and have to succumb at last that
is my private oppinion a private
Solger is looked upon by the big
officers as no more than dogs sum
times I would not care a
slap of my finger if the confedera
sunk into oblivian Just to see
the differece between privates and
the officers tha a getting there large
sallerys and living on the best a poor private
at 11 dollars a month hardly a nuff to
keap him a live it is dishartoning shore