#8

                                                                        Lexington, Kentucky, april 23^th 1864

 

Dear Sister

                        As I am on duty to night I thought I would write a few lines to you it is nine oclock in the evening and I shall be up until twelf oclock stationing gards at the horses of our company I wrote a letter to you about tenn days ago teling you that our regament was going on a long march well we have returned and glad I am of it for I was puty well worn out I wrote a letter to you the second day after we arrived hear and told you all about the march so it is of no use my teling you in this letter I am writen this letter to pass / away time and also to let you know that our Regament has received orders this morning to get ready for another march by next tuesday I think we are going to the big sandy river or the town of Leuizey in Virgina how long we shall stay thare I cannot tel I exspet to see some fighting before long we was just one day to late for a fight on our last march in Eastern Kentucky

 

Dear Sister it may be so that I cannot write to you for a long time to come thare is no chance for a cavalry man to stop and mail a letter when he is on a march you may be asured that I will write to you as often as I can now when we was on our last march I had / not even time to mark down what transpired through the day we traveled two hundred & five miles in eaght days and for five days we had nothing to eat but corn meal & sow belley and not enough of that & for our horses we had about four quarts of corn apeace (for one day)

 

Sister I must try and close this letter or I will not get one half of what I want to write in it it is a very poor compition I know but consider who it comes from I am very much obliged to you for them stamps which you sent to me in your letter of the 12^th inst. I have inclosed one doller for you which you can use for your own benafet oblige me and let me know if you got it or not as soon as you can I will allso / inclose a Photograph of mine which I had taken last winter shortly after I broke my arm the picthur looks about as the original did at that time I was sick with the efects of my broken arm it is because it looked so poorly that I did not send it before but now I look tuf and hearty and I mint as well send it to you as to have it in my pocket Dear Sister I have sent you two dime novels just befor I left Nicholasville when you write please let me know if you got them and let me know if you got that company record from Kalamazoo no more this time I will close and bid you a happy good night and fairwell until I get on Virgina soil from your Brother & Soldier

 

                                                Adress

                                    William J Bartell

                                    Co. I. 11^th Mich Cavalry

                                                Lexington

                                                                        Ky

 

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my love to home

and respects to all

inquiren friends

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