Helena Jan 30^th 1862

 

            Well Chank

                                    I am the happyest to night that I have been in one month and I will write a few lines to you about 6 weeks ago we was opesite helena in Missssippi and we was orderd over to Helena we got moved and our tents pitched and we were ordered to march with two days rations in our haversack we went down the river 16 miles we got things fixed very nice there and we were ordered back to Helena they marched us up on a hil all long and no wide and do to stony as the devil we got up on it after a while / we sat down waiting for our tents and before our they come we got marching orders with 3 days rations we marched down to town about 3 miles through the mud 6 inches deep we got down to town we had 5 days rations to draw and go a bord of the steamer brazil we the next day in the afternoon & started down the river got to the mouth of white river and went up to Duvalls Bluff about two hundred miles from the Mother of rivers. we had a snow storm on the way we got there just before dark 30 men out of a Co of our Regt was detailed to go / on picket well I hapend to be one of the number the snow was 6 inches deep and and cold as the devil I sholdered my old gun and started I had been on guard the night before and I was sleepy I lay down on a bord that we had jahawked and stuck my feet towards the fire the snow had melted and it had got quite muddy my feet got down in the mud they darned neer frose I got out of that kinder sudden I was pretty near froze all over I caut an awful cold but I come out of it all right We stayed there a few days / and back we went for Helena we was on the boat 14 days out on deck we did not have a very pleasant time of it I reckon. we returned to Helena we marched 7 miles through the mud got to our camping ground, pitched our tents in a mud hole and slept in the mud that night I have heard about heaven below but I think this is hel below it rained 4 days after we arived in the mud hole and I guess that the mud did not dry very fast it may be that you think that it is fun to be at home where you can have a sod fire to sit by when it rains and snows and have a good meal to sit down to and a good bead to sleep in if you want to see times just come down south I wish I could have what you throw to your dog tonight

 

good bye

B. W. W.

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