tell Em if she has not started the box

                                                that she need not hurry about it

                                                                                    AD 1864

                                                for I cannot send any money

                                                            untill the Reg is paid off

                                    Fort Slocum                Jan 31^the

 

            Dear Mother I will write you a fue lines in answer to yours was very glad to hear from you in that way wish you would write oftener for it seams like talking with you to get a leter from you I hope you will be very carfull of your helth and if you get beter not do to much work I am getting along very well at present think sall be nearly well in a fu days do not know what may hapen have not got very strong yet but my appertite is good have that buter and it is sweat and good and tasts like mothers buter the berys ar a nice thing to buter like that is a rarity hear with the buter and berreys I m / manage to get a long nisely we get good bread now and some good meat for brakfast we have bread and coffe for diner bread and meat the most of the time with once in a while beans for super bread and tea some times with meat potatose ar scerse and poor at that so you see that a littell buter and berrys goo good while if one was ableged to eat bread and drink black tea or poor coffe it would reather touth the buter will last me untill warm wether unless I give it a way to the sick of whith theair is a plenty hear sick with the measels some eight or ten in this barrocks and more a coming down every day it has bin fine wether hear for a fu days as warm and dry as sumer theair the wheat tha sowed last spring fall / is up and green as a leek as we us to say I hav writen two leters to Pole hav not get aney answer from him yet hope he is well I get three leters from home or from Eden two from Em & one from Still & two papers the freeman & newsdeler whitch wer very exceptabal to me for I think of home some now a days for I hav nothing els to do would com home for a short time if it did not cost so much do not know as I could get the money for this Reg has not bin paid off yet thair is three months du some think that we will not be paid off untill the first of march whitch will make four months pay du I am not home sick but would lik it if could come home in & stay a fu days think will have to stay untill anotheer fall guss can stand it / think if men and money will put it down that the war will be finished up if not I do not know will what will become of the peopel of this country for the expences of this one Reg is a nough to make one stair it now numbers 17 or 18 hundred strong I saw them yesterday all or all but the sick and those that wer on gard prehaps 14 hundred on dress prade perade the officers wer on horse and thay have a good peace of ground and a good band of musik and they wer all dresed in thair best and loocked splendid hav just get a leter from home dated the 26^the the maill comes hear every day and you can send a leter every day in a week from hear an get one from the city the same would be glad to hear from you

                                    all bey beter soon

                                                            Abel Hinds

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