1863
Camp cragg nair fredicks burg March 16th [
Dair brother and sister I seat my self this
this morning to let you no that I am wel at
this time with the Aception of a bad coald
I do hope and trust to god that when theas
few lines reach your dair hand that tha will
find you al well and a doing well I want
you to excus me for not riting aney more for
I hant got mutch chains to rite and cant
git aney stamps here to pay the poastage
on the letters Dair brother and sister I can
let you no that we see hard times here
I must let you no what we git to eat and
how mutch we git a pound of flour thats a
loud for us and some times we dont git
more than three quarters of a lb a day and a
quarter of a pound of rotten Baken and that
old and rank and some of hit nairly eat
up with the skippers if you had sutch
bakin I do no that suasan would make
make soap out of hit and we git a table
spoon level full of salt for three days
rashings and that what we git to eat dair
brother we ar well fixt here for a battle
here we have dug in drenchments for 20
mile long as soon as the weather brakes
we may look our for a nother battle here
I do hope and trust to god that this war
will soon close so that we can al git home
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one time more you dont no how
bad I do want to see my Dair wife [2]
and little children tha rite that
my little Babe can set a lone you
dont no how glad I would be to get
to see him one time Dair brother
this is a happy life to live you
no that but I cant help that here I
am cant help my Self a tal I do hope
and trust to god that you wont hafte
go to the armey for I dont want aney
more of my friends and relashen to go
aney more if you do hafter go I ad vis
you to join the calvary for I tel you
that this marching a foot and carying
a gun and cotterrage box and bayonete
and nap sack and haver sack and a
blankeit thats a nuf to brake doun
aney man so I must close by asking
you to rite soon and tel me al the news
and let me no how al your children
is a git a long and how Lasson Bast
is doing tel him that bidda was well the
last that I hairn from hir and well
Sates fide se is one of the finest
girls that I ever saw if I live I wil
a good part for hir and if I dont I hope
that I will leave a nuff to pay hir no
more at this time rite soon
Noah Wike to Danial Setzer and wife