Camp Hodge July 27^th 1864

 

Dear Father Mother and Sister

            how do you do this warm morning I am well as usual and having quite an easy time now I am helping cook yet our cook that got hurt has got well a gane and is helping me now Jim Everly was asistant cook but he is not verry well now and so I take his place till he gets well and perhapse longer. the boss thinks I am the best cook he ever had and says I will have to stay in the kitchen as long as he stays with us I received your letter of the 17^th last sunday when I went to the office you said that John Wait wrote home that he was sick he is homesick that is all that ails him I should think that Jim Warner had a hard enough time when he was down here so he would be glad to stay at home. does Henry Metcalf talk of going west or is he going to stay about home. I think I shal stay two months longer for the Quartermaster offers me $45 a month if I will stay and I dont think I can do any better / if you want my help at home and cant get along without it I can get my discharge when my four months is up I am glad to hear that Lute has cured your colt what did he charge for doctering her I do not want to cleark in any store as long as I can get any thing else to do so there is no use of trying to get me a place now if I wanted to cleark there will be plenty of chances after I get home I dont think there will be much danger of the rebs getting me for there is three companies of Negros guarding this camp they are building a stockade within about 10 rods of our barrack

 

            29^th Schmitt our boss left for the north this morning he is going to stay a month and enlist men for this camp we had some Greencorn for dinner to day and some ripe pears to eat I suppose that some of our apples are getting good now what is Alph Stevens doing now to keep his name up acting Negroe I suppose or something else of the same sort

 

31^st I will try and finish this misrable looking thing this morning I received a letter and paper from you and a letter from / Henry and George Metcalf I was glad to hear you were well uncle Neds folks wer all well well when the boys wrote I think that I get a long about as well as any of the boys that came down when I did I have not been sick and of duty but 2 days and a half and I think that is more than any other of them can say it will make some of the big men in Ohio git if the draft goes of in ohio when the 50 days is out it will be rather heavy on them I dont think that any of us are liable to the draft I hope that the Quota will be filled without a draft I had heard about them boys wer dead that you mentioned I think that them boys that run away from the rebs had a clost call if they get so many ball holes in their cloths

I am glad you sent for my picture up West we can get our discharges when our 4 months are up if we want it

 

Our boss Schmitt left for the north / yestarday he is going to stay 30 days and recruit for this camp we had some green corn for diner yestarday there is any quantity of it here now I receaved thos paper that you spoke of quite a spell agoe I dont want any thing sent to me if I cant live on what I get here I will starve or come home where I can live you need not send any Postage stamps or any such for I dont know how quick I shall come home after I my 4 months are out I cant think of any more

 

            write soon and oblige             Newell J Fuller

 

tell Cordelia she may have this envelope to write to some of her

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