[this letter is on the same kind of Confederate patriotic stationary as the previous letter]

Dec the 26 1861
Dear Sis I take my pen
in hand to answer yore letter of the 9th
I am enjoying good helth an hope thiese
few lines to find you the Same I have
wrote to father a bout our scurmish
Dear Sis we was to geather last chrismas
but we are a long ways a part to daye I
am an exile in the enemy land in th
defens of our country dear Sis you an
Mother wants to no why I dont write to
you an why Jas writes so much moore
than I he had bin on the Sick list
almost ever Since he had th mezels an
has had no duty to dwo he has just a few
weaks com of[f] of the Sick list dear Sis
I enjoy my Self fine ly we have a dance
evre night or two when the fiddle is
at home I hope to See you all at
home a gain an all the fair damsels
of old burke dear Sis you Said J Rac[?]
wrote to miss E. F. E. if he node one of th
[page 2]
burke flours love him he could kill [1]
all the yankeys in th confedracy She
wrote to him a girl stade with her a
weak an tride her fortune an dremp of him
an more over She Said She was th finest
girl in her estamation in the county
der Sis I want you to write to me how
she was dont let her no any thing a
bout it She mout think hard of J. R.
father Stated in his letter he had the
yella janders it has bin all threw
our company th drs Say it is caused
from eating two much an taking no
execise I dont suppose that is the case
with him write to me if he has fin
ish the house an how many hogs you
hav kill tel th boys I would like
verry much to see them esspesile lon
an little jef Noyah oliphant is one
that back out the other day the coln
has got them grubing up stumps to day
he has bin writeing a bout the
company all the harm he can he is the
lazeest man in the company he Said
he had heard a heap a taulk a bout
Miss E. L. an if he ever gets back to
burke county he is going to see her
[page 3]
Dear Sis dont let
any boddy see this
letter burn it as soon
as you read it our box
we hav not reseaved
yet Sis write to me
how you enjoyed yore
self this chrismast dear Sis
the yankeys wont com out
an giv us a fight I was in hopes
they wood com over an give us
a fight the other day
So I must close
excuse this bad writeing
an speling
Respecfully yores
B. L. Mobley
burn this letter as soon
as you read it for my
sake