Opp Fredricksburg Va. Jan 11^th 63

 

                                                                                                                Night before last Ephe Wheeler & Asher Coats very unexpectedly arrived The next morning I received your letter containing the money Both that & the package I received by Ephe. I tell you were acceptable

 

                                                                                                            Jan 14^th 1863

I commenced my letter while I was down on picket last Sunday & now after a long interruption I will finish Wheeler & Coats left for home yesterday morning early I should have finished my letter so as to send by them but they were not going directly home The boys were in pretty good spirits during their stay & therefore they/will not think our lot as hard as White did I tell you the kind of countenance a man has on has something to do with it If a man gets home sick he might as well be dead We expect White out again with things for us but if he does not come Ephe Wheeler will Whoever comes makes no difference to me as long as my friends send something Clark L. said last fall that he would send a Cheese if he would send some by White I will try and make a good use of it I want something Eatable sent most any thing will keep if it comes by White and I will leave it alltogether with you & mother what to send all is send as much/in bulk as any one for I shall have to pay as much as any of the boys toward his expenses which is one dollar & I think you may as well pay him there as for me to pay him here as I shall have to send home for money. That four dollars you sent I owed one of which I paid & I have spent one leaving me only two but you need not pay him untill he gets back for I do not want to pay his expenses & not receive any thing. By your letter I see you are more saving than myself I would willingly make the same sacrefice & save all I get out of this cursed war if it were a possible thing But what I do spend now/may possibly save my life I do not spend for foolish things at the Suttlers but for Meal Flour & Vegatables. We three keep a Mess account and each contributes to make our living a little better Whatever we by we receive credit on Mess account for and all use together making a regular family arrangment of it

 

I spoke to the Lieutenant about Edwin’s bounty check he told me he had sent it to him & he wants him if he has received it to acknowledge the receipt of it I am very much obliged to the Elder for getting the Postage currency

 

I will write another letter to you to night but must close this in order to get it into the mail

                                                                                                                        Court

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