Helena Arkansas Sept 21^the 1862

 

            Dear Malvina

                                    as it is sunday and I have leasure I thought I woulde write you a few liens hoping they may finde you all well as for my selfe my health it is good but the health of the army here is very poore I expect nearly halfe of our Regiment is unwell with the diarhea and fever & ague we have not had any men to die out of our Company since last spring but I feare one or two will die in a few days as they are very sick at this time but the healthe of the company is better than it was a few days ago all the Bluffton Boys are up and about the weather begins to look like fall and we will soon have coole weather then the Boys will all get well again /

 

as I write the olde chaplin is preaching away close to my tent I do not go to heare him as often as I used to do for I do not like the olde chap very well he says to me one day Captain what church do you atend when you are at home says I generaly the methodist when I go to any as my wife belongs to that church then he asked me what church my parents belonged to I informed him they belonged to the Methodist church but as for my selfe I never belonged to any church and very seldom went to church well Captain he says when you go home I hope you will join the Methodist church or something better he apears to think the Presbyterian church is the church and no other /

 

I presume ere this reaches you will have received the letter I sent you by Henry Schnatterly and also them seeds them musqmellons are a new kinde I have never seen any like them before those grapes seeds are a wilde grape that grows here in the woods they are as large as our largest tame grapes those pease are also a new kinde spread them out for a short time so they will dry I do not know when is the propper time to plant grapes seeds whether in the fall or spring please ascertain and have them planted at the propper time as the size of them will astonish you when they begin to beare I purpose on geting all the flower seeds I can for you that is of sutch that do not we have not got with us

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