Camp Near Vicksburge Feb 18 – 63

My Dearley beloved wife I one time
more take the oppertunety of Riting you
afew lines to let you no that I am
Still living but by no means well
but better then I have bin fur Some
time & do truley hope that these few
lines may find you all in good helth
I have looket fur aletter frome you til I
have give out ever gitting eny more
news from home I havent had but one
letter from you cence I came to this place
& I have bin heare prety neare 2 months
you ansured my letter that I Rote the
2 day of January & I have Rote evrey weake
but one Sence & it looks to me if you
was to Rite once aweake that I would git
Some of them fur G..W.. Wilson gits letters
Regerler from home & he has them maild
at the Same office & John Wilson gits
letters from his fathers & tha are maild at
the Same office & I must think that you
doant Rite as you aught to or however
as you mite do if you would try rite
hard if I doant soon comence giting them
a littel perter I will quit Riting my Self
fur feare you are not abel to pay the postege
thare is Something the matter but I cant
see what it is this fur from home you don
no how glad I would be to git a letter from
[page 2]
you all Spechley to heare that you & the
children is well & I think that I have some
idey how you are doing I think I can See you
Seting & munching Round thare about
half Starved & the children awanting
apeace of bread & none backet fur them
& I ame afraid that you dont try to git
them eny meat at all & Jest Such
away giting along as that will kill a
honest man in ashort time when
I could git a flirishing letter once a weak
I could See you & Margret aflouncing
Round all in good youmar [1] & the children
Runing over the hill playing & hollering
with apeace of bread in ther hand then
I could ly down at nite with a open
brest & breath freeley but to See it
the other way the way I See it now
when I ly down at nite my brest all
filled with immotion half smuthered
& chockt & half sleeping & half dreaming
all nite & when I git up in the morning
I am worse worred then when I ly down
witch leaves a man un fit fur duty
& very un hapy but I will leave it
with you with grate hopes that you
will try to Revive me by Riting more
at atime & a heep ofner then you
have the letter that I got from you that
was Rote the 26 of Dec was a grate deal
of Satisfaction to me it had a very prety
Song Balled in it about going to heven
[page 3]
by the way of Rail Road if it is Such
Road as the georgia Road it is prety good
travling but if it s like the Roads in
this contry it is Slow travling & prety
dangres if I had bin abel I would a volenteard
last nite & left by day light this morning
to went up the yazoo River & took some
gun boats & adon the balance of my
fiting on water we have 3 or 4 gun
boats up thare adoing no good &
thare was volentears cald fur out of evry
compney to go & take them & come down
the River to the Mississippi & thrasht out
the the yankeys heare in the River
at Vicksburge but I thought if I went
I never could a heard from home then if
eny body was to come out of the setel
ment but I Should a went but i am
not abel to walk a mile my armes is
not larger then Johns is if tha are as
large as I think tha aut to be by this
time but I give 75 cents fur 6 eggs
yesterday & Sergent Russells wife sent
him 5 or 6 lbs of butter from home
& he gave me apeace to eat with my
eggs & I boild them good & dun &
eat them with Salt & butter with
out a bite of bread & tha helpt me
the most of eny thing I have had
I think that I will try a dozen to nite
if I can git them turn over
[page 4]
it Rains heare all the time to day
makes 7 days it has Raind & our Regt
has bin on picket 5 nites han Runing
& the mud Round our cook places is Shoe
mouth deep in mud it is the nastes
place heare I ever Saw in my life & if we
Stay heare til Sumer we will dye like
thare has bin 9 of our comney has dide
& bin kild cence we come heare that we
have heard off & thare may be sevrel
more dead fur all I no I havent eny thing
of importence to Rite in this letter you
must not mind my Jokes fur tha
are all in cold ernice but you must
Rite Sooner more & oftner I must close
So nothing more at present but
Remains your loving husband until deth
doth our loving Soles Seprate Children
be good & grow fast & Rais a heap of beanes
& collards & unions & pepper I have got to
eating evry thing that is to eat & when
I come home we will go afishing & hunting
& have somthing good to eat So good by
H.. W.. Robinson To Elisabeth Margret
Susannah John Francis Marey

be Shore & Send me the age of all
the children fur I have fur got
them