Camp Carrollton Jan 4^th, 1863

 

my one Dear Wife as i have got dun a working i will right you a few lines to let you know that i am well at presant & hope that those few lines will find you the same my helth is good i dont coughf hardly eny the climate a grees with me hear i dont know how the hot wether will a gree with me next summer it is very warm hear now i dont want eny coat on or vest in the day time it is cool nights i hope that i shant be hear next summer i hope that i shal be home i dont know how long we shal be hear perhaps until spring & maby not a weak we cant tel eny thing a bout it i hope we wont stay hear long for they dril us purty hard it [scratch out] 

 

i had rather work 10 ours a day at home than to dril 5 hear purhaps it is all for the best we hafto drill with our gunds & 40 rounds of shot that is quite a load for to dubal quick on Dear wife i cant think of much to right Dear wife i havent drank a drop of eny kind of strong drink since i left New york & i dont intend to i am a going to try & ceep from it & cum home sober if i live to cum home & I hope i shal Dear wife when you right i want you to tell me all the news i dont have eny thing i havent hird eny news since i left New York i wish you wode send me a news paper wonce & a while send me the Rochester union it will do me good to read it all we get to read hear is tracks them are good but their ante eny news in them i have shaved of part of my whiskers i am geting fat in the face my face was / all ways thin ruf food a grees with me very well ornges is very cheep hear if i cod send you sum i wood but their is no chance we cant get of of the camp ground when we stand on gard hear we hafto lode our gunds we had a hard thunder shour hear last night i never saw it rain harder in my life our tent cep the water out very well we live in tents James & Al Rychman & William Hislop & W^m Hibbard camps to gether i got up a very good meal this morning i had bacon beef potatoes onions & coffa i wish it was so that you cod send us sum butter & dride apples & ham but i dont spose you can apples is 2 cts & ½ a peas dride apples are 10 cts a pound butter is 30 cts a pound beef stake is 30 cts a pound milk is10 cts a quart eggs 5 cts a peas you cod send sum things get 2 or 3 of you together i have got sick & tiard / of the living hear Dear wife dont for get them postage stamps i havent got eny pay yet or eny more bounty the talk was that they ware a going to pay pay the first of January but i guess not they dont act like it now you send me them stamps & i will pay you for them Dear wife take good cair of your self ceep your shoes on this winter i cant think of eny more at presant give my love to James & Mag give my love to Maria & my father & mother give my love to Amy & Frankey & Charley give my love to all & ceep a good shair for yourself i wood right to Maria if i had stamps i haf to pay 5 cts a peas for stamps hear i wish i had a pockit full of them i cod duble my money hear with the solgers i remain your afectnate

 

husband W^m H Hibbard

           

right soon honey

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