Camp Reno Brashear City LA

March 19^th 1863

 

            Dear Wife although it has not been but a short time since I mailed you two letters yet I will try to night while I am sitting up with the sick to write you a few more lines to let you know that I still keep well I recd to night your letter that you wrote me March 1^st I had been anxiously looking for a letter from you for some time as there had been three mails came in since I had got anything from home I write more since I have been in the hospital than I did before as I have to sit up the half of every other night and I do it to pass away the time as well as to write to my friends I have wrote 6 letters allready this month and this makes seven I wrote one to you the 4^th and another the 8^th to you I wrote to Aunt Sally and one to / D. W. Baley one to C. B. Lusk and one to Nick Daniels Besides writing some for the sick boys here in the hospital So you see that I do some writing I am a going to write to T. F. Horton before long and george Burly and I will write again to Mr Reynolds for I shall write all that I can. I will try and write to you as often as once a week as long as I have as good a chance as I do now to write and the prospect is that I can have for some time for I think that the doctor likes me so well that he will not let me go away from the hospital unles I go in to the general hospital as an attendant there if they want me there he will have to let me go he has not told me so but our officers say that he had rather have me than any one that he has. My letters may not all of them be as long as some that I have wrote you but they will tell you how and where I am and as much more as I have to write 

 

            You have written one thing that does me good to read that is that you have had such good health I am glad that you are careful and hope that you nor the children will be sick while I am gone for I find that health is one of the best blessings that we can have Now Ma do not starve your self and the children but do try and get what you need to make you comfortable Just as soon as you get that money and do not pay any attention to what any body says about your spending your money or how much they have saved I send it to you for you to use as you see fit to and for what you want. I do not think that you are spending it foolishly if you want tea and coffee get them do not go with out for when I come home I shall probably drink tea & coffee both I drink tea here more than I ever did in my life before I drink it three times a day Every day and all that I want at that / I did not say in my letter to you that I felt larger than I did at home but I felt lazyer than I did then for when I wrote that letter I had not done any thing for a long time but lay around camp and eat I will say again Ma what you want to get for yourself or the children get as long as your money lasts we shall probably get paid of again this week or next and then I shall have more to send you and after that at the next pay day I shall be paid seven dollars and a half more a month which I will send you as my first extra pay will be paid me then I will send you two dollars in this letter as I have six dollars in money and it is more than I need and when you get it if you will you may send me 15 postage stamps three cent stamps I have not had to buy any yet but should if Ty Lusk had not sent me some in his letter that he wrote me he sent me 4 three cent stamps and a 50 cent united states bill he said he thought I could use them even here in Louisiana

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