Camp at Cannelton    

Kanawha County Va  

November 16^th 1862

Dear Aunt           

       

I am enjoying excelent health and hope you are all in the same state we left Summersville last Tuesday morning and arrived at Gantz on thursday evening we rested there one day and come to this place on the Kanawha river the steam boats run within 12 miles of here now and when the river raises any more a bout this place we are going into winter quarters here and commenced to level the ground for the houses to day we will have very good quarters to winter in we are in the valley and the river never frezes over so you may know / it will not be very cold I have an appetite like a horse a can eat as much as an other man in the Company I am never bothered with any cough and I dont think I will will not be troubled with any this winter for it is past my time of taking any sickness it is over three weeks since I have had a letter from any body I dont know what to think about it whether you have wrote and I have not recd the letters or you do not know where we are I do not think that I am forgotten for I made to much noise for that Sometimes I think you are all sick or something terrible wrong again I think that I would have heard from some source or other all I know some thing is / wrong Jim is well and getting very fat I never seen any body that it agreed with better than Jim Jim and I will send for a box about Christmas if the river raises and we stay here to be made up by Mrs M^cfarland and you and I want you to send a good lot of cigars and a lot of smoking tobaco we will let you know whether to send it or not after we get settled and get our houses built

 

the war is virtualy at an end in western virginia for this winter those fellows that were at home are under arrest and have not had their trial yet I expect it will go prety hard with them 

 

I need not make mention of my trials on the march they were hard enough god knows but I have stook them all and can stand more marching does not affect me in least I dont think this war will ever be settled in the wourld by fighting but by a comprimise and the new Congress will settle it it cannot last long for the soldiers want it settled the worst kind of a way they have had their fill of soldiering

 

Give my love to uncle thany and the boys    

James Wilson To Miss Nancy Wilson

 

Perhaps I may write more in this letter if I have time. write soon. J

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