Camp Youngspoint. Feb 23.63

 

                                                                                                Dear Father and Mother

I received your letter of the 8 yesterday I am well and hope this will find you the same I received one from Eugene Fosket the same time we had a rather noisey time yestarday for a little while they celebrated Washingtons birth day by all the batteries and gunboats firing 30 rounds apiece it made me think of the day we maid the charg at Vicksburg you could not hardly here any thing but the thunder of artillery I guess the Secesh thought we felt nice up in our camp

 

                                                                                                            we are having a long resting spell here now we have not had any thing to do but to stand guard and work on the canal since we have been here we have good tents since we have been here the weather is very warm down here now

 

                        I wrote to you a spell agoe about / one of our gunboats that ran down by Vicksburg the rebels took her the other day her pilot proved to be a Secesh and ran her ashore rite in range of one of the Rebels batteries hewi with part of the crue made there escape on a small steam boat that they had our men have took the old pilot and put a ball and chane on him to wait his trial I beleave he is to be tried to day most of them think he will be shot but we cant tell till he is tried I hope he will get his just dues

 

                                                                                                the newse of Erwins death was sad newse to me when you write to Uncle Williams folks you must try and reconsile them as much as you can I have been in hopse that I should find Erwin in some of my travils but that hope has vanished since the nuse newse of his death

 

                                                                                                there has not very many died in our regt since I have been here there has quite a number died out of the army since we came to this camp for a spell / there was an avrage of 12 a day but there is not so many now as there has been

 

                                                                                                I cant think of much to write to you this time for I wrote onley a few days agoe when you write to me be sure and tell me all the newse let me know if there is any talk of a draft up there we here down here that they are talking of passing the conscript law up there excuse bad writing and mistakes from your Son

                                                                                                            Newell. J. Fuller

 

Dear Cousin Belle

                        I received a few lines from you the other day you say I must not think you mean to impose upon me by not writing more I will try not to but I shal begin to think that you are going to forget me.

 

                                                                                                            do you hear from Frank very often how is he getting along have you heard from May Williams lately how is Peg leg getting along I hope you and him will keep good friends as ever I hope I shall / get home safe and sound for I should like to see all of the folks agane you seam to think that I must get home sick I dont know as I get homesick though I should like to get home they keep a kind of animals down here that I dont like they call them shell when a fellow hears one of them coming over it will make him get down and grab at root as the boys say there is another smaller animal called the Miny ball that will make a fellow dodge when they come close to him

 

                        doed Lute Warner stay to home yet to drive the chickens to watter and keepe the children out of mischief I pitty him poor little fellow you must take good care of him or he will pysse himself to death has Sam been home lately give my best respects to Zadocks folks and Ggrandma

 

            you must excuse mistakes and bad writing

 

            and write as soon as you get this

                                                                                                                        Newell

 

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Mr Wheeler says give his best respects to all the folks and tell them he is well

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