my birthday

Sunday, January the 4,/63

 

Dear Mollie

I received two letters from you last night & was much pleased to get them for I had not heard from home for a long time I sent a fiew lines by henry, which you proberbly have ere this. one of your letters was dated the 7 the other was not dated at all, nothing more than Sunday Eve, Dec. after this be sure and date your leters. you say the children have had the measels I am glad of it for it is beter for them to have it while they are small than it is when they are larger. be careful of their taking cold. you spoke about those cotin seeds you wanto plant them the same as you plant corn in rowes 4 feet apart one way & 2 feet the other, or indoors 1 foot apart, as early as will do in the spring, with out soaking the seeds. you spoke of that bass drum & wanted to know why I wanted it I want / ed it because we have not had eny music since it went away the boys wanted I should send for it & wanted I should play it. they say I am the only man in the regiment that knows how to play it. Henry will be at home before you get this he can do as he has a mind to about sending it if he does send it he can have his pay as soon as we get the drum for they are making out the pay roll & we will get our pay as soon as we get to some stoping place. we are going up the river now but I canot tell how far we ma go to caro & we may go to St Louis it is hard to tell what we will do for this war is all a speckilation in my opinion. I hope uncle sam will pay me soon for I watto send you some money, for I know you want it you spoke in your leter about a pig you killed & wished I was / there I wish I was there provided I could stay, but that cannot be so for some time the way the war is caried on. I think it was a very foolish move in our generals to atact a place fortified as that is with forty or fifty thousand troops. we made a charge on them but were repulsed with a heavy loss, killed wonded & taken prisoner between two & three thousand their los is not known to a sertainty they say they lost about twelve hundred killed & wonded I tell you it was a hard sight to see the dead and wonded I never wanto see the like again the most that were killed were shot through the head the Illinois 13 was all cut to peaces & one of the ohio regiments. there is a good meny of our regiment sick now one of our company died since we have been down here his name is Gustis Nash. he lived at Roots Henry simpson is very sick he cant live / unless there is a change soon our orderly sirgent is very sick but is a litle beter to day

Tuesday 6 Henry Simpson died yesterday. we buried him last night he was a fine young man & will be missed very much by his friends. I cant have much time to write to day the mail came down to day & will go back soon we have stoped & the boys are caring wood & I am siting on a log writing with my paper on my knee, so you cannot expect very good writing. I am well and harty, hard bread & sow belly agrees with me first rate. If you have eny war news I wish you would send it to me for we dont get much news here. I cant under stand our falling back from vicksburg with out making more of an atact. I think that there was an order from government no more this time From your husband

O Shibly         

To Mollie C Shibly                

 

kiss the children for me, yours truly

 

[upside down margin] some say we are going to memphis & some say we are going to St. Louis

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