Camp near falmoth va

                                                                                                Febuary. the. 14. th 1863

 

                                                                                    Dear father with much pleasure

I asume my seat once more to answer your kind leter which I receiveed to day and was glad to hear from you and hear you and the rest of the famoly was well We are well and the rest of boys George receiveed a leter from mother at the same time I receiveed 70 sents in your leter and 4 stamps We have invested all the muney in tobaco and paper I think we have a nough tobaco to do us a bout a weak tobaco is 175 a pound and hard to get at that Corn meal is 300 a bushel We have drawed soft bread once sinc we have bin here but jenral hooker has command of the army of the army potomac and has isued an order that we shall have soft bred 4 times a weak / and potates twice a weak unions 3 times per weak and crackers is about played out I dont think the boys will complane of the tooth ache as much as they did

 

the weather is prity bad to day yesterday was a very nice day there is no srtety in the weather here it may snow one day rane the nex may aprill day the next you spoke a bout some boots George says he rote to you and told you if you came out here to bring some boots with you I dont believe you could get here if you would start for you would have to go to the White House and get a pass and it is 10 chances to one if you would get it and it would cost you not less than 50 dolars to come and go and the boots i don think would pay to have eny thing / to do with them though they are at a good price here 8 and 10 Dolars for pare but there is but litle money in the armey her i know and spring is not far from hand the men will not buy if they can help it the soldiers is as saven as they can be with out some felows that dont care fore their way and them kind dont care whether they have boots or not you wanted to know how we likeed soldiering I gess some of the boys are  prety tierd of it some likes it very well I cant say I like or dislike it yet very but have almost come to the conclusion that the wore has come to nothing more than a money mater and it will not close as long as money lasts I cant see that it is eny / nearer a close than it was a year a go it may be though that they will come to some kind of t[?] after whole of this rejiment was free I dont believe out of the hole rejiment a hundred men could be rase ed there is an old man in our Cop I heard him say he would rather be at home and run his chanc with the chickens than to be here it is lafable to hear some of them talk the amoty felows is all well john kely is tierd of it if I have my health I think and nothing happens I think I can stand it with eny 50 men of the rejiment I will close hopeing this may you and the rest of the famoly enjoying the best of health and good sperits I will send Mahale a picture it will likely pleas her nothing more but remane yours as ever               Thomas           to his father

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