New Camp Lake Springs

Mo May 3^d 1863

           

Dear Wife

                                    As Sam^l is coming home I can do no more than write you a few lines to amuse you a while as Sam^l may not have a chance to see you to talk long I have just been enjoying a little chat with his mess mess 3 you know J H Enlow has recd some eatables & they would have me eat some with them also last night They are verry kind & appear to think well of me I told the boys Moulton Enlow & Wilkins that I would give one of them a supper when they got married if they wanted it Irvin & Saml is to give the others a supper what say you if we all get home visitors are again coming to camp Hanley Stewart daughter & mother came down to day one of old Rely greens / daughter in laws came & Lieut Carltons wife & more are comeing The 20^th Wisconsin had a supper last evening in which some of our Officers was at & did not all of them improve their reputation morrally from what I learn liquor seems to have been used to freely by many But if a private gets drunk he goes to the guard house & perhaps loses a month or so of his wages for it There is much dissatisfaction getting up in the Regiment by promotions of inferiors over superior Officers It seems to take certain kind of stuff to fill vacancies & if they keep on all will be of that material but our company that seems to hold its own well in most respects I hope it may never be worse Mrs Enison is still here She is a dirty looking little musk as you may well suppose her children / are dirty & ragged their pants near torn from them Irvin is going to try to get Mrs & Mr Powellson to live with Martha Do not say any thing for she & Irvin are toughy you know her If you have no hand try the boy but if Charley can & will work ½ of his time he will do as much nearly as the Powellson boy I have no doubt though he is sober & steady & no doubt would be pleasant to have around I will try to get price per month out of him before he comes

 

Sarah I have been looking for that letter for 2 or 3 days but still it does not come only those few lines by Irvin Are you sick & can not write If so tell Franky what to say for you You know you promised to write 2 a week Did you not Now this is 3 for me to you 2 to A one to Arrowsmith one to Elizabeth Roggers in Dayton & I am going to send / my dagureatype to her & perhaps Irvins I intend to have all 3 of ours but the artists had no good material for taking pictures I did not want to take mine until he got some I will send one home to photograph from. you can if you want have a dollars worth or so taken for our friends that may want one if they are true friends that you must judge perhaps you will jog Bosworth again about writing I have a perfect mania for writing at times I attended church once to day but you were not there so I did not go in the afternoon I think I will go to Powellsons & get some of their specimens if they do not want them & send to you to add to your collection perhaps you got some of them I hope to hear from you tomorrow will I not I will close & hope the day is near when we will meet to stay together in Love yours              

O Barnard

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