Camp Marion
the
March 1.1862
Dear Mother
I received your kind
letter this evening and was
verry glad to hear from you
all but I was very sorry to
hear that Samuel Bearrow
was dead I recon it went
hard with his parrents when
he was sent home dead but
it cant be hope Dear Mother
you said in your letter you heard
that I had to take Atramp
bear footed well that is not
so my shoes was very bad but
I was not bear footed it is
Night now and I am sitting
at the table writing to you
to night is as fair as it can
be we have very pretty weather
now but it is very cold but
I dont mind that Dear
[page 2]
Mother I am fixt better now
than I have been since I left
home we are in A house and part
of my mess went in to another
house so we can live fine only
four in A house we have got
us stools and A table plates
knives and folks and A good [1]
Bed stid and we are living
fine I hope we will stay
here till the war ends I
beleave I rather stay here
than to go on the coast in
Georgia for I dont think it
is so sickly here as it is
on the coast but I have
Just got well from A spell
of sickness but I was not
very sick long and I was not
sick long Benj has been
sick. he was pretty sick for
two or three days but me and
him are boath well now
[page 3]
except I have got A bad cold
we exspect A battle here soon
they are going to send our heavy
bagage to yorktown so if we
have to retreat the yankees will
not get our things and it is a
good idie but I am afrade the
yankees will not come I wish
they would come up to bethel
and give us A battle for the
way we are fortifide here is
the way if they will come on
land we ask them no ods
Dear Mother you said somthing
in your letter Awriting to please
me well you cant write A
letter that will not please for
if you new how glad I was to
get Aletter you would write
to me as of ten as you can
I send of[f] from three to four
letters evry weak but ben
[page 4]
dont write as often as he aught
too Some times I get after him
A bout not writing to you all but
he dont write as often as he
can. Dear Mother I am going to
send you in this letter and eagle
claw but it is the least claw
that was on his feet some of
his claws was as big agin
as this one is yes four times
as big the boys got the big
claws before I saw the eagle
he was the largest fowl I
ever saw he was 8 feet
from the end of one wing
to the other F. J. [Haufmond?]
killed him he is in our
company he killed one to
day and one yestedday I could
run my fist in his mouth
nothing more at presant only
I remain your loving Son
Jim
[added in top margin of page 3]
mother when you write to me write where to send latter
to Sim Skinner where I must direct my my letters so I
can write to him