Yorktown va
April The 21 1862
Dear father it is with pleasure
I take my pen in han to drope
you a few linesto in form yow That we
air in Tolerble good helath Consid
ern the long march we had to
March I hope when thouse few lines
Comes to han they may find yow and
all the rest of the famley enjoying good
health we air eccspectting a big feight
evry minit at this place The yankeys
has a bout one hundred & eighty
Thousand men we have form one
hundred & forty thoussand men at this
pleace we air foryfeid on the line
seven or eight miles seven men
deep a long the line I eccspect
we will have the hardist feight that
ever has bin heard of I wood be
to seay you all but I am a freid
it will be a long time if should
live to git though this batle
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They say that Congress has past
a law to Ceap all men in serves from eight
teen to thirty feive we have ninty
days to stay after our time is out
we can reorgannis our
Company and elect our offeris as we
did be fore but remain as we air
till the ninty day is out they say they will
pay fifty Dollars bounty money & siccty
days furlow & go to enny Company or
regiment we pleas but I think if they
ceep us that long they will ceep us on
the guns and canons roaring this morning
it may be that we will be call be fore
neight I think it is hard for to press
men who volenteer Their servis frely
if I Cood had the pleaure to come home when
my is out and stay thirty or forty days
I wood bin better sadified but I
hafter put up with as it is
I want you to do the best you for your
and also do the best you Can for
elisabeth & marget for they air the childern
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you have at home for god sack dont
de prive them of a home for all the boys
yow have air here to defend the rights of
our Contry it may be that we all three
may fall in defending our rights
so do the best you can for yourself
and the rest I want to sell my bacon
for me I want to keep my mair till fall
if I should have the lwk to live till fall
and dont git to come home I want
yow to sell her for me if you can git
form one hundred fifty to sevenfive Dollars
you can do so and it will be all right
with me it may be that I will git a
furlow when our ninty days out
we have never received the thing you
started to us and I dont eccsepct we
will ever will git them I dont eccspct
to send home for eny thing if ishould
stay war five year So I must bring
my letter to a clouse give my best
resspect to my frinds I will remain
your son until Death G. L. Cuningham
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, George , L , Cunningham