Camp Marion Cockletown
           the
February 5 1862
My Dear Mother I received your kind
letter A few days since and was well
pleased to hear from you all well I
should have written to you before but
I had Just sent of two letters to
Father and sis so I thought I would
wait A while and I now seat my
self to answer it I am well at
presant and hope this may find
you the same Ben is well the
Company is in good health but
O. P. Reece he is sick he had
the pneumonia but he is getting
well now well me and Benj
received the box you and Father
sent to us yestedday evening and
we were glad to to get it
the Liver pudding was fine the
cakes got sortor wet but they were
not hurt much Ben got his
Razor and brush well Father wrote
A letter to ben and put it in the
box well he said in it that he
had not heard if we got the box
that had bens Over Coat in it
well I have wrote over A dozen
times that we got it it reached us
safe we received it A long time
a go and has done eat it up long ago
Benj was offerd 25 dollars for his
coat the next day after he got it
we have received two boxes from
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home Father said in his letter to ben
that he wrote one to me but if he
did we could not find it in the box
he said that you was sick I was sorry
to hear that you was sick but I hope
that you will be well before this reaches
you me and Ben has got evry hox
that you have written to us you sent
we got the Chrismas presant that
was sent to us and we got the one that
was started on the 10 well I will
now tell you some thing About our
seranade we had the other night
well Colonel Cobb has been gone
About three weaks well he come
back night before last well I
never saw such a sight in my
life evry thing was fixt before
hand for the seranade and when
he come the brass band was ready
and About nine Oclock in the
night all the legion was formed
by companys and at the head of
evry company was A long pole with
A big light at the top of it and
evry man had to have a light in
his hand and you can gess how A
thousand lights looksed at night
well it was the pretyest sight
I ever saw well we had A pretty
band of musick we marched up to
the Colonels tent and give him
one of the seranades you read of
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it beat any thing I ever saw well
when we got through the Colonel got
up and give us one of the best
Speaches I have heard since last year
he was well pleased at us for seranading
him we had A torch light prosesion
well we had some fun shure. Well
I will now tell you somthing About
our election we had the other day
well we elected T. B. Cox first Lieut
Whitehead 2 Lieut and to night we
had an election for 3 lieut well
M. A. Brown is now our 3 Lieut
it is now nine Oclock now I am
now Just from roal call and
we called on Sergent Brown for
A Speach as we had elected
him Lieut and he give us
A little spech Dear Mother I am
now workeing on the hospittle
so I dont have to stand
gard so is ben neither of us
has not stood gard in 6 or 7
weaks we are haveing A fine
time of it now you complain
sometimes of me and Ben of not
writing to you no oftener than
we do well I write to some
one of the famly once A
weak and some times more
than that and I dont get an
swers to half of them but
you dont get them I no for
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if you did you would answer
them I no but you do have
A little cause to grumble at
Ben for he does not write half
so often as I do and he would
not write as often as he does if
it was not for me some times I
get after him for not writing
no oftener than he does I dont
no as me or him can give
any excuse for we can write
when we please well to day
has been the best day we have
had in some time it is no
more to sea snow here than
it is to sea rain in georgia
well you no the whiskey you
sent ben he toak two drinks
out of it and then sold the
ballance for five dollars that
was A big price but he got
5 dollars for it shure for
I saw him when he sold it
if I had one gallon of whiskey
I could get 25 dollars for it
easy. well enough of that so tell
Aaron that I am glad to hear
that he is making shoes for
got A pair of shoes sent to me
and I had to pay 8 dollars and
fifty cents for them but they
were the best I ever saw in my
life your Loving Son Jim