Fort Mansfield MD Nov 24/63

           

Dear Brother

                                    I  received your kind letter with mutch plesure & to day day I thought I must answer I should have answerd it before but I have done as you generaly do neglected it I am in usual good health & hope this may find you the same. to day has been rather a nasty day & therefore I have not had any thing to do yesterday we / had a brigade drill there were three regt^s on the ground they made a splendid apperiance you had ought to have been here I think it would have pleased you it looked like general training I presume it would looked diferant if there had been about the same number of rebs acoming up to attack us I think they would found a hard lot to handle but I do not wish to have them attack us to test our bravery Well Brother Bill I presume you have got your falls work done before this time you must get every thing streyghtend up for the draft is coming in about five or six weeks & perhaps you will be one of the unlucky ones this time I do not know as I ought to say unlucky for the more that comes the sooner / they will get home I hope they will get along without drafting but I am afraid they will not I guess if they draft this winter there will not be any three hundred dollar clause I think as soon as congress sets they will strike out that clause congress sets now in a few days and then there will be some alteration in the program I think I presume you get all the war news there that I do here so there is no use of my writing mutch about them the army of the potomac is on the march again I believe but what success they will have is more than I can tell I cannot think of mutch more to write this time this leaves me and all the rest of the boys in good health I presume that John Denel is pretty poorly I guess that he will / never get back here again I am glad he got home but I guess the gout was most to mutch for him

 

            I guess I will bring this dialogue to a close remember me to all the folks & try & write soon yours with mutch respect

                                                                                               

Edward Gridley

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