FredricksBurgh Va. June 4^th 1862

Dear Mother

 

            I sit down this eaving to rite to you to let you that I am well & hopeing these few lines will find you & the rest the same I hav bin looking for a letter from home for the last three days & have not got wone yet I hav be gan to think that some of you was sick last monday I rote a letter to Harriet & one to Danial Benidict it is verey warm wether here it rains most all the time there is a flood here it has taken off two of the rail road bridges & washed the roads very bad Thare is to mutch nues for me to undertake to rite them you probaly hav herd them before now I hav got three papers that I shal send to Father 

 

I expect evry day when we shal leave this plase for some other durty hole I like this country verey well I had rather live here than to live whare you are I hav got midling tought a gain now this warm climate a grees with me the best the folks that is left here looks as if they could eat a man up but they cant scare us our gards has bin shot at by some of them & stoned & clubed but they did not get hurt eney the folks that are left here would starv if it want for our army this part showes the effect of the war verey bad but not half as bad as it orto FredricksBurgh will be burnt yet if the people dont behave themselves differant than they hav sinc our troups hav bin thare 

 

June the 7^th

Mother I hav not had a chance to rite only till to day sinc I commenced this letter & I dont know as as I can finish it to day It still is clowdy wether here I never see sutch wet wether it rainy evry day I hav had to be up knight & day for the last ten days till at knight I slept all knight thare has bin five or six of the boys sick & I hav had to take care of them all a lone Billey Chamberlain has bin very sick but he has got well now Charly Baker has bin sick but he is geting better now & so on the rest it is quite sickly here now & it will be more so I am afraid but I hope not 

 

I have not sent them papers to father yet & I cant get a stamp for the money to save my soul I sent to three differant plasis to get them but they dont keep them here they cant make eney thing on them so they say some of them if they sel a stamp they want five cents for it they cant hav that from me for I can do better I want Harriet to get me a dollars worth of stamps when she gets her money & send them to me in a letter they will come safe I guess if they dont let them go I shal be glad when this riting business stops & I hav a chance to come home 

 

I would like to see you all very mutch I often think of you all & glad will I be if the time ever comes when I can come home & see you and mary I dont care how quick this war is ended the quicker the better if I had no bodey but myself to care for I woudent care so mutch thare is good nues from evry direction thare has some hard battles fought for the last week Buragard has lost the most of his army & his wife is a prisner now & general Lees wife is a prisner to ritchmond is not taken yet thare will be a hard battle thare we are within 45 miles of thare I wish that we may thare but I dont think that we will get that far 

 

I want to get out of this gard business as quick as I can I am geting sick of it but I dont know but what we hav it better than the rest dos but I get tired of staying at one thing all the time we hav done nothing but gard duty yet we hav moved more than aney other rigment in the survis sinc we left camp curtain & I am geting sick of it but we fair good to what some dose we hav got a good captain Knaps boyes are all well Andrew Dunn is well it is get late & I cant rite mutch more this tim I will try & rite more next time give my best respects to all the folks this leaves me well & I hope it will find you all the same / I send my love to you all tell harriet & franey to take good care of them selves tell harriet rite to me oftener than she does if she can

 

Good by rite soon

this from your son

Abner B Palmer

Direct your letters

to washington DC

in care of Captain

G B Osborn Company

A. 56. rigment, PV

then they will come

to me whare ever I am

be shure & put it all

on

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