Camp 37 Reat Gea von
Near Dalton Gea April 19th 1864
My Deare wife
I take this time
to right you a fwe lines after Just
returning from a to Days and knights
turns at Picketing to let you know
that thes lines leves me in tolarble health
though I have Considerbl Cold but
fiel right sharpe and I thanke god
for it my dear mat I hope thes lines
will reach you in Safty and find
you and the children all well
well mat we are all quite heare
yet and it is the opinon of some
that we will stay heare till the ware
brekes and that thare will be but very
little more fighting but I Cant say
we have a grate army heare and they
are in good trim althowgh they are
badly fed they are in good spirets
we hear that Kerby Smith is thrashe
ing them badly in missipa and
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that bobe lee is giving them fits
in vergina I thikne if we could whip
them bad in vergina and give them
a smarter rub heare in all probability
the ware would soon end and god
grant that the time may spedly come
well mat we are on duty the most of
the time fetige Camp garde and picket
Company Drill brigade drill and
divison Drill and army revews they
had gon out on revew to day when
I got in of ofe picket So you see I got
out of it to day and take the chance
of righting to one that is all wayes in
my mind and one that I fiel a grate
intrest in thare well fare well mat
I have got yours and swe sedes yet and
everytime that I take my testament
out to reade I turn to it and think
of the hands that it has bin in and
I Cant keep the tears from my eyes
my Deare mat I do want to See
you So bad I thinke of home and you
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and the children till I do knot know
hardly what I am doing but then I thin
k thare is a kind providence and I trust
and prey he will spare us to be permi
ted to se each other a gain and I try
to keepe my sperets up and to think
of beter days when this wicked ware
will end and I hope it will be spedly
well mat I have nerly red my tester
ment throught since I left home we
have so much to do I do knot get to
read much at a time mat our rations
is still shorte but I recond they fede
us as well as they Can so I want grumble
tell the children all howdy tell them I
that I all ways thi[n]k of them tell them
to do thare best in try to learn
mat I wished you Could send them to
Scoal if you Can I would send biley
eny how and swe some if you Can possibly
spare her if it was even so little it
would do her a heape of good and
She will soon be to large to goe
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mat I want you to keep aleter all
ways on the rode so I Can heare from you
often if you knew how much good
it dos me to reade a leter from you
you would right oftener I know and
when you right fill out the hole sheat
the last one you rote you left nerly a
side white dont stop be Cause it is a
big sheate but fil it out when you
right so little you may give me
to dout you a little and think you
do knot thinke much about me
right about ovry thing any thing from
you will be interesting to me I Could
read aleter all day and never get tiard
wel my deare mat give my love
to mary and the children and aunt
poly and take alarge potion for your
self and may god bles you and direct
you in the righ is my prare pray for
me Jaap and hee is well So god
bleas you is the onest prare of
your husband John McCorkle