Dec the 31 1861
Dear Mother this will inform you
me an Jas is boath enjoying good
helth an hopeing thise few lines will
find you th Same I stood gard yes
ted day an when I com to diner to
my grate supprise thair was
my box and I was well pleased
at the things which was Sent to us
my over coat fits neatly I was offerd
twenty dollars for it to day the tongs [1]
kept good the potato pone molded a
little on the edge dear mother I am pleas
at all that was Sent to me but the
clothing I did not nead me an Jas has
13 line blankets an six shirts a
peas father wanted to no if we had
reseived any thing from the ladays
we hav sevrall Shirts an drors
and one pr of pants a peas
general magrudar paid [2]
Coln Cobb a visit the other night [3]
and we all Syrranaded him he made
us a verry nice speach and said
in his speach we wood winter
whair we was an if the enemy
[page 2]
attacked us we wood de feat
them an then we wood have better
quarters in fortriss monro and
new port news tel father we have
got our new uniforms and it wood
dwo him good to see Cobbs Legion
a driling we have a band of 13
peacis an it wood make the worst
coward in the world fight if he
was in front of it the yankeys
Saids if they had cobbs legion they
wood not dred the war when ever
we get a mong the yankey an they
hear Cobbs Legion is a long they
leav in dubble quick dear Mother
you told Sis it was sumthing
she had said to me the reason
I wood not write to he[r] She had
not Said any thing out of the
way She has not said any thing
but what I was glad to hear
tel gus he must be a Smart
boy drive up an make all he
can evry thing is two hy to by
dear Mother you Say you
thought you had Saw H. Trum
ble
[page 3]
But I expec you are like gus was
When he drank the bear gus said [4]
if he had never drank any bear
he wood be a happy boy an so
it is with if me an Jas was home
it wood not be long be fore you
wood see as much to greav at
as us tel Aron an Alax they
must be the same write to me
how aron can blow his fluit
dear Mother I am nerley redy
to close my letter and I will
not write annother one this
year dear Mother we are going
to draw our pay in a day or
two we will draw forty four
dollars W. O. Milton is a musisian
you or father one wanted to no
how we drew for furlows we write
go on as many placis as can go an
put them an as many peacis of
blank paper as thair is men
in the company an the ones
that gets the pece with go on
it he is the one that gose
home
[page 4]
dear Mother I want to come
home next summer when
fruit is ripe dear mother
I am fairing fine I had a
fine brecfast an diner out
of the things you Sent to us
dear mother I was as fat as I
could be a weak or two a go
but I hav march So much
with out any diner to eat
I hav got a little lean
we had a fine time a rasling
to night dear mother me and Jas
has plenty of clothing so you
nead not send us any moore the
mumps is in our camp our bagage
is come from york town so I can
write oftener than I hav bin dwoing
dear mother write to me soon as you
can I hope the house will be done
when you write to me a gain So
I must come to a close I wrote to
father an sis both the other day
Yore affection Son
B. L. Mobley
we hav plenty
of Soap
[added in top margin]
when you send the razors tell gran Mother
to send me some goose quils
J. M. Mobley