Camp Butler Oct 27^th 1862

 

Dear Wife

                        I received your verry welcome letter but was verry sorry to hear that Ma was sick I am in hopes that by the time you received this that matters will be changed for the better and that Ma will be well or at least may be able to get about tell her to keep in good spirits and not be discouraged and she will get up again. I wrote you aletter today and directed it to Dudleyville I was under the impression that you had went to your Mothers and was still there I am sorry that matters at home are so much to your disadvantage I am in hopes that things will change for the better ere you get this Keep up your spirits and things will be apt to turn out all right at last / I thought when I’ve wrote that letter to you today that we were sworn into the regiment and that our regiment was organised but it was amistake we were taken out on the ground on Saturday last and sworn the same as we were sworn to day with the exception that the regiment was sworn in abody on Saturday and by companies today I suppose we will leave here in afew days where we are going we dont know but suppose we will go to Virginia when we left home we were promised forty dollars and we will get twenty seven instead of forty we are now under marching orders we may be here amonth but it is verry uncertain the men are opposed to leaving with less than forty dollars whether they can have any influence with the officers in regard to that I dont know but dont suppose they can I would like it if I could get all my money and send / it home to you now I dont like to send money by mail as it is uncertain business If John is going to come up here before we leave he had better start as soon as you get this As for Mr Alfred Hynes tell him that I want him to give you an account of the lumber he got at Adams Mill tell him I have heard about his making inquiry about my horses if there was any that he could get hold of by law do as you please about letting him have the hogs tell him that I have property enough to pay him and as he is fond of getting money by law to pitch in as I shall not be in any particular hurry about paying him. When you get what money I send you if there is more than you want you may pay what you see proper to Samuel Hymes and Ad Smith divide in Hymes favor. John Floyd is dead he died this afternoon he will be taken home on the cars to Carlyle / he will be sent in care of Cap Harris and Charles Floyd. Harris goes to accommodate the boys so he says they cannot draw their pay unless they are here pay day will be on the twenty ninth of this month do as you think best with what stock there is left on the farm There was agrand review on the meadow this afternoon I would liked for you to have been here the Artillery was out and about three regiments that were armed and two or three that were not armed old Heckers regiment and the artillery will leave in the morning for virginia they made agrand appearance this afternoon I will try and write to you oftener than I have done before When you answer this I want you to tell me all the particulars and how matters are going at home Tell me how Eddy is getting along There is nothing more that I can think of now to write Nothing more at present Write as soon as you get this

your affectionate husband

 

Henry B. Drake           M. E. Drake

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