15^th Ohio Battery

                                                                                                Natchez Miss Sept 18^th/63

Dear Mother

                        Yours and Mary letter was duly received yesterday morning very glad I was to hear from home. So I took the pleasure to answer it in haste. My hand is so unsteady that I can hardely write a letter seeing it is a going to you it wont make so much differance About two weeks ago we were ordered out on a ten days cout which we done we was to go across the river in Louisana a bout fifty/ miles out. The third day I was taken sick with the feever and ago. I was the fifth man in the detachment that was taken sick out on that march one fellow that was taken sick that was detailed out of the 41^th Ill for a blacksmith he come to us before Corinth and staid with us every since he died three days ago the reason so menny was sick because the water was so bade we had to drink water that had aligators in it from three feet to ten feet long. I am a good deal better now then I have been so is all of the rest getting along first trate now When we got back I went/ to the Hospital and the Dr give me four doses of quinine and that broke up the ago for me. The rebles had the best fort in Louisana that ever I saw in my life it was up on a high bluff but the joke was the rebles left before we got there the boys was all glade enough to hear that the rebles had left. They went off in such a hurry that they left four 32 pounders and 3 six pounders we spiked the large ones and brought in the small ones There was two brigades of us and about four hundred of the rebs they would of give us a pretty good pull if they had a stade the Country was very level miles/ around. The weather is very cool has been two or three days last night my beadfellow was on guard and I almost froze to death it is tolible warm days and cold night it is unhealthy on that acount.                   When we was at Vicksburg Elboin Olds took the Hopsital boat far up the river has he got home yet or not I have not heard a word from him since he left the Battery. he had sore eyes when he left. If he has got home I want you to tell Father to send me a pare of boots by him. I want them made on size six lasts have them pretty large through the instep so I can get them off and on pretty easy dont have them doubled sole this land is not very hard on boots the last pare was to large for me

 

[top margin] one pare of boots from home is worth a dozen Goverment pares I dont need any thing but boots we are a going to draw clotheing in a fiew days

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