Northen virgina
Camp near fredericsburg
May 15 1863
Dear wife I Seat my Self
this evning to let you know
that I am yet in the land of
the living and I Sincerely
Hope when those few lines com
to your hand they will find
you all in good health
Dear wife I can inform you
that I have bin on picket last
nite I Saw a many A yankey
And as I returned to Camp
I was looking over [????]
your leters i found that I
Made A Mistake in the last
leter I Sent you I rote you
A leter on that white paper
and in A hurry Sent the [st??]
one back I can inform
that we went on A line of
batel on the 25 of April and
[page 2]
Come out on the 7 of May I
Can inform you that I Saw the
Hardest time them 9 days I
Ever Saw we Started before breckfest
Without any thing to eat the
next day we got A half A poun
of Meat and Crackerrs that
is all we got them 9 days I
Can inform you that we got
About one pound for 5 days
and one pound of flower A
day I Can inform you that
Camp life is A hard life
Dear wife I Can inform you
that my opinion is that
We will have A nother fite
befor long in less than one
Month I Can now State
to you that brother Cain and
jeferson Come throo Safe
turn over
[page 3]
I Can now State to you
that the yankys got to richm[?]
they Capturd one [trane?] and
Four woonded and Sick
I can in form that Jackson [1]
got his arm shot off and
he is dead and I Can inform
that it has bin a great loss
to us that we lost him it
is said that our loss kill
woonded and imprisend is
about one thousand and Twenty
it is said that the yankys
loss is ten to one I think
that one fite More will
Close the war for A while
Dear wife I Can inform
you that I Cant Send any
More Money home I Can
do with what I got
[upside-down at top margin of pages 2 and 3]
I forgot to tel you about the 5 of May it was
the hard rain that fell the hardest rain that I ever Saw
that was the end of the fite
[page 4]
I Can inform you that I
bought one pound of pork
yester day and I pade one
dolar and Seventy five Cts
per pound tobacoo is from one
doler and a half to two dolers
A plug paper from 2 to 4
dolers A quire Salt one doler
A pound I dont want you
to Send any More paper I
Have A nuff to do me this
Sumer Dear wife I would
like to be at home now
the leaves ar puting forth
the lonsome birds ar singin
I must come to A close buy
asquin you to rite as soon
as this comes to your hand
and tell Me all the news
Marcus Hefner to
Kiza Hefner
[upside-down at top margin]
I Can inform that Spring
is one Month later hear
then in north Carolina