Benton Barracks, Mo 12/62

 

Dear Mother I now take opportunity to write a fiew lines to you to let you know the news we are going to start for Cairo to morrow morning at ten oclock on the steam boat I was detailed to go to the city to day and help put our bagage on the steamboat and was expecting to stand guard on it to night but got rid of it we have not been paid off yet the talk is now that we will get our arms changed and get our pay at Cairo and then I think we will stay thare a week or so and then go on into the battle field I thought this evening I would not write untill I get to Cairo and then I thought I would write I have been down to the city all day at work we hardly know when Sunday comes here it is the first Sunday I have worked for some time we have got about 60 rowns of catrages apiece that is enough to kill some secesh it is now pretty late and I have a long letter to write before roll call and that is at half past eight I have been to work pretty hard all day and am pretty tired to night about that going in to that baker shop I thought I did not want to leave the boys and so I did not go I had rather go whare I could fight and I guess I will get thare before long that is the calculation now I will let you know if I do get in to one and come out alive they are going to have a large fight down here before / long may be we will be left to guard Cairo but our Col is fix for a fight and so is his boys I feel just like going right in to the fight the quicker the better thare is some pieces of Artillery going with us and some Cavalry thare is a great many ridgements going to leave Camp this week for Cairo. they are calculating to do big work before long I want you to write to me as quick as you get this and direct as before I want to hear from you as often as I can and I will write every opportunity I get it is fun for me to write if you do not want to write get Mary Anice to I want to hear from her before long I hope we will get paid off before long because I am out of money and I have three postage stamps left I do not know what I shall do when them are gone I supose quit writing I do not know whether I can fill this large sheet or not but I will try I have not long to do it in I have not felt as well before in a long time I can eat double rations now we have to cook enough to last us three or four days I will write again when we stop I shall want to hear from you as often as once a week anyhow I want to have Mollie write every time you can direct as before and the letters will be forwarded to whare we are I expect I will have to get up in the morning before the rest and finish this because I am not allowed a light after roll call the boys are bothering me as much as they can they have blowed my candle out three times now / they have got the paper all over candle grees and dirt but I dont care may be you can read it you must tell Mollie to write because I want to hear from her I sent a letter the other day but I did not know we was going away thus I was the onely one in the company that had to go to town to day to work I suppose we will be in Cairo before you get this I want to hear from you all has Hannah and Ed got thare yet I want all the news. thare has been a number of men died in this Ridgement lately and thare will be a great many more if we do not leave here I wrote a letter to Frank Eaton the other day but have had no answer yet the 55 Ridgement is a happy set of boys now they are going to Cairo I have got so I do not care whare I am I had as live be in one place as an other the boys are all fixed for a fight now I have got about all I can carry my knapsack is pretty heavy I believe when I enlist I will enlist as an officer I will commence a new it is now morning and things [?] around pretty fast we have got to march to the city this forenoon and then take the boats they all got up this morning about three oclock George Hawk is going to write this morning to his people he had to come and borrow a stamp of me we got disappointed we expected to get paid off before we went away it is now roll call and I have got to go and answer to my / name this is the dirtyest paper that I ever saw I would not send it to aney one else but you I know you do not care so as thare is reading on it I wish you could be here and hear the talk one of the boys saw another have a sacage and he said that he found a brass plate in that and it was marked fido on it if you could be here and hear the nois you would not cry much we boys are cutting up all the time if you could see us you would think we got along well enough we are not lonesome you tell Mollie I shall expect a letter from her when you write and you must write I suppose you will before you get this I do not know for surtin as we will go to Cairo we will go as far as thare I know if we get to Cairo and stop thare we will be pretty near F Eaton it is now breckfast and I must close I would finish this if it was not for that

 

please write soon from your son John Beach

 

Give my love to Mollie and tell her to write

no more this and now for Cairo

John Beach

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