Camp Near falmouth verginia

            Crismous day December 25^th 1862

 

My Dear Wife and Childerns.

I now take my pen in hand to rite a few lines to you witch it may in form you that I am well at the person time and still hoping that this kind and welcom letter may find you ingoing the same blesing. shell I now tell you that I recived a letter last night from you witch it was on crismus eaves and this morning I recived a nother witch it is crismus morning and they bouth found me well and bilding a litel log house to leve in to keep me dry wen it stormes and to keep me warm. I now shell tell you that all of the boys is well and harty and woushing one and a nother may crismus and wat is beter then that for a soldier to woush a nother mary crismus. yester day we had visutars & shell tell you thar names. Jack garn. petor rislers sun. gab Hater. mike uler, thay cum to see the boys gab Hater will tell you hou the boys is. now I shell tell you that I haven recived the gloves yet if thay dont cum and I feal in nead of a pear I shell cend for a nother pear. the sun shines very nice and warm but this morning it was very cold and fogy. I shell tell you now but I dont know now no more then wat I heard. I heard wen bill slater got shot he told his men to go in for he was wonded as he sed to his men go on and give them rats for I cant do eny more and after thay com out bill rockerfeler was a puten his napsack and war a ball a com a crost and hit him in the arm. I cant tell you only wat I hear. dear wife your letter stated that you was sick and tard of the war and I am to and all of the is the same thay want to git home and som says thay will git home after wile. dear wife dont wory a bout me if I dont rite often for sometimes I haven time and then / a gin we git in plases ware I cant rite and this is all for this letter so I ges I shell bring it to a clouse by sending my love to you and the childern so no more at person and I shell remain your husban untill death.

 

                                                                                    grant Ollinger to his wife

                                                                                                Elisabeth Ollinger

                                                                                                            please rite soon

                                                                                                                        good by

 

                                                                                    [mark of Grant Oblinger,

                                                                                    for whom the letter was written]

SOURCES