Camp Finlay Feb 24 1863

                                                           

Dear Wife Again I write you as an opportunity offers to send by Mr Blair he now having got his discharge from the service as I before intimated to you but there was some mistake made by a drunken fellow that has detained him for over a week I think Derryman will have to be discharged he is complaining verry much with his hip & side at first he called it Rheumatism but now he thinks it will be palsied But I have an idea he wants a discharge wors than any thing els & I almost fear he is letting on more than is real at this time (Yet you will keep this to yourself as a secret from me as I have not even said so to Mann) I hardly think he will get his discharge soon as men in his fix have to be confirmed in the disease before the Doctors will act on it The Busicks both tryed to play off in order to get discharged but could not and they got tired as the Drs did not show them any favor so they both got better at once & came to the Reg & are now well as usual & able for duty such men keep many needy men from getting home that would if they did not play off with spinal affection blind piles & rheumatism & such diseases as cannot be seen Man is a strange creature truly There are but 2 Capts now acting in the Regiment the others has resigned or resigning / 2 are on detached service one at home, one dead & the resigned, the names of these are Brown Buckles Walden & Franklin 2 or 3 of which their companies are glad of. Franklins Co liked him well enough 2 Lieut I hear have resigned & 2 sick 1 at home 1 or 2 in detached service so it goes & regiment keeps running down until at last they are mustered out or consolidated with some other Ours are perhaps the fullest in the western service for the same length of time they have been in the field Irvin will now be promoted to sergeant soon & then his pay will be increased to $17 per month & I think Samuel will more than likely get a different position soon I can give you no idea of our destination we are here & that is all I know certain & that it is perhaps the roughest country nature ever tryed her home on I learned that yesterday to be a positive fact as the Capt our cook & Ben Railsback & myself were out hunting yesterday there was some snow on the ground we went 6 or 7 miles from camp found plenty of game deer & turkey of the latter we shot one but did not get it as it could fly a little so as to fly from one ridge to another & we could not the whole country is one succession of hills & hollows of the steepest & deepest kind & we went on a strait line as near as we could as we started home we killed 10 rabbits & come to camp a little tired but got in return a good nights sleep & a good appetite for breakfast & supper last night

 

If blair calls on you let him have one of the mares to ride home unless you want to drive down to Miniers in the buggy to take him home but you will hardly want to do that he will take good care of her & return her soon I will likely send my blue blanket home  by Franklin & have it left at some place I will write in my next if you get it

 

[upside down interwritten]

 

you had better give it a good scalding as it is not certain but there may be some gray backs on it but I do not know there is any on any of it now

The last letter I got from you was written from the 9^th to 12 of Feb & I got it on the 19^th you say in that you had not heard from me since the 30 of Jan I wrote you as follows Jan 20 Feb 7, 15, 19 21 22 & the 24 before this I suppose you have got There has been quite a time since your last This is the third to you since I have had one so you see I write you anyhow & one to F B have got none from A only that ½ sheet which he said he did not call a letter so I disregard his Sam^l got one directed to me through the officers mail since the wedding mailed on the 17^th so I heard from you as being there Anna seemed to feel as she was the only one there that did not have their husbands with them as she only spoke of herself as being lonely & feeling the loss of those afar off & on the tented field but surely she was mistaken or felt a little selfish as though she was more sensitive but really I think she was only writing of herself allowing others to do the same

 

Please be more careful how you lift & strain your self again I am sorry to hear if you had any need to do so when you did where was Franky & Charly both & your Sister that none could lend you aid Some times I almost fear I write so much that my letters are hardly readable as news is a little scarce at times but a little chat always does me good & time runs of faster I often dream of home & you but I do not torture my mind to think all the time of home & its pleasures but I will await my time of release patiently If you do not get a letter with an account of the apple scrape with Old Moss & the ambulance tell me & I will write you again Is Vandervords still trying to sell their place or do you hear Henry is at Springfield driving team at the post but he will I think leave there soon as I learn the place is to be turned over to the state militia & then all volunteers of other Regiments will come in I will now close my scribbling can you read my double writing If not say so in your next I hear there is some talk among the boys to put Moulton in Blairs place as Sergeant but I will put a quietus on that to day or as soon as I see the Capt apart so good by now my dear wife & all our family                           

O Barnard

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