leas burg va sept 6th 1862
Dear wife I tak my pen to
let you no that I am
well at this time hopin
this will find you and
amanda and Polley all well
and all the rest of my
folks well austen & thomas
and wilam is all puney
but not so but what tha
can travel a bout tha cant
git nothing to eat that tha
can eat the res of the boise
is purty mutch the same
way about eatin the times
is varey hard hear sum times
wee git a plenty to eat and
then wee have to do with
out a day or tuo wee have
bin in sevrel battles
sum fore or five nun of us
has not got hurt yet but
[page 2]
Wilam Hatcher was wonde
slitley on the top of his
foot lanfair I have not
seene him sense I got back
from the hose pittle I have
bin as harty sense I cum
back as I ever was in my
lif wee have dun sum
hard marching for the last
thre weekes we have
marched study our horses
is all broken doun and wee are
stoped fore a few dase to recrut
up the folks is all broken
doun tha all neade reste
the arme is all in marlend
I never seed so menney folks
as I have seen fore the last
three days i have sene sevrell
of my old a quantences
to day and yeter day tha
have all past by us
[page 3]
here con script have past and
gon in to marlend I expect
that tha will do grat thing
over thare I wood be glad
to be with them as long as
I have to be so near but
you had better now that
I had ten thousant time droth
er be at home but I dont
now whether I ever shal or
not I hope that the time
will cum when I shall cum
the lord has bin with us
all ofre and I hop he
will be with us all the
time I put all my trust
in god fore thar is no other
help that can do enney
good I want to see you all
vary bade the wors I ever did
in my life and I dont expect
that I wa[n?]t te see you enny worse
[page 4]
then you wat to see mea
tell Jesse and his folkes that
and Gilley and hur children
that I want to see them all
I give my lov to all the
na bors round about thare
tell them that I want to
see them all I want you
all to write to mea as soon
as you can I have not recevd
nurry leter yet let
all the inquiren frends see
thiss if thare be enney
the time [is?] [??] and [I?] must
close direct yore letter to
gordin vill v.a in cur of capttin
A.C latham brenches [1]
brigade
noth ing more
yore tru hus ban untell
death Bardin Brown