Camp Marian Dec the 5 1861
Dear Mother it is with with
plesure I take my pen in
hand to inform you me and
James is boath enjoying good
helth and hope these to
find you all the Same we
had a Sno on the 2 it was
a light sno a bout 1 ½ inch
deepe an thair is plenty
of it on the ground hear yet
me and J was on gard to day
but our liout of the gard
was so kind as to get us of[f] to
night as it is so cold the
other night when our tent
was coveard with Sno you
dont no how warm it was
we all hav fine times now
our men is most all well
we are most done our houses
we will get them done
in a weak if magrudar
dont have us on a tramp
it is most two cold to turn
out
[page 2]
evre time it rains and
gets the road pretty myre
he gives us about a 5
mile beat thair is nothing
that provoaks me like
the role of our drum at an
un useual hour if thair
ever was any fight in me
it is then mother I wrote
for som things the other day
an Som thing elce I forgot
I want you to send me Some
Sage redd pepper and a
quart of whiskey and when
you kill hogs I want you
to send me sum sossegs an
liver pooding dry them
well be fore you Send
them if you dont they will
Spoil Mother I no you hav
heard of our scurmish
So I will not Say any
thing about it to night
as it takes so much write
ing to explain alittle
Mother dont Send those things
[page 3]
un til it is convieniant
for you I am hear writing
an I no not what is going on at
home the next letter I git from
home I hope to hear you air all
well an the house finish
write to me how you are geting
a long in geathering the crop
tell father when he gets the
house done to finish the carage
house tho I am a long ways from
home I hav not for gotten it
yet the boys has got a contilion
in the street dont write this to
non of them for they wood Say
I ort not to of don it I wood
like to be at home now an
I wood like to be as free as
our negros espcesialle 3 weaks
just to no how freedom felt
but it is all write I am fighting
for freedom write to me how
much cotton the boys pick this year
Mother make the boys learn
theair books Suppos I had
not of studded my book like
the rest of the boys
[page 4]
Mother I hav plenty of
blankets an wairing c[l]oth
thair is a grate armusement
going on in the streate tel
Aaron I no nothing could pleas
him better Mother thair is
a grate alterration in James
Since he had the mzels every
way I hav not heard him use
any bad words Since he has
bin well he weighs one hundre
and sixty lbs he saids he is
enjoy ing better helth than he
ever did in his life I am helthe
than I ever was in my life
write me all the news
an how you all air geting
a long
So I must come to a
Close
Yors Respecfully
B. L. Mobley