[written on patriotic stationary with a Confederate flag and cannon in the upper left of the page]

Dec the 25th 1861
Dear father Me and Jas is in
in good helth and hope thiese few lines to find
you the Same dear fathe we was to gether last
chrismast but we are a long ways a part
now dear fathe you all hav bin quarling
at me for not writeing to you all I write
to you all oftener than you all write to me
the reason I hav not wrote to you all for
the last 2 weaks is becaus all our bagage
was Sent to york town and my paper an
invellopes was all thair our winter
quarters is done an we are all in them now
dear father orders come for us to go to Boo
[k?]en bridge on the 2 an we Set out at sun up
just as we got thair we heard the souning of
guns in a few hours coln winson regiment
com along an they was as black an as Smutty
as you every saw white men they was at
new market brid[g]e winson only had 2
Compayns against five hundred of the yan
keys they kild one of winson men and wondd
[page 2]
fore 2 in the foot 1 in the thigh 1 got the end
of his year shot of[f] win son kill 14 of them
yankeys an wonded 13 an takeen one prisner
on the forth we all went down to new market
bridge 4 regiments crost over the bridge
an burnt five dwellings the yankeys saw
us an run like wild hogs I hav March so
much for the last 3 days my feete is blist
ard I just got home to day an reseived a
letter in a few minuts after I got hear
worth 20 cents with 8 letters in it an I
was glad to hear from you all 2 of our
men flew the track an is gone to the gard
tent to night our box has not come to us yet
I hope it will be hear in a few days they boys
has not much fun to night the fiddles is all
in york town an whiskey they hav none
dear father you ort to go to bethel to See the
battle groun to See whair th cannon balls
Cut the treeas up an to See how the musket
ball is in the trees I for got to tel you the
houses we burnt was strode with yankey
blood our man that was kild they left
him thair coln winson sent after him next
day the yankeys had taken him an carried
him to newport news an laid him out
neatly an drest him had a case made for
[page 3]
him an had a grave dug for him the prisner
winson taken was a duch man I am well satis
fide an hope you are th Same I hav enjoyed
beter helth Since I hav bin hear than I ever
did in my life I am th only one in the
company that has not bin on the Sick list
you all want to no why Jas writes So much
more than me it is be caus he had bin on the
Sick list an had no duty to dwo
So I must come to a close
the rea son I make you pay the post
age is be cause I hav no change I hav monny
but can not get it change
write to me Soon as you get my letter
an I will write to you Soon as you I can
Yores Respecfully
B. L. Mobley