Camp near Helena

                                                                                                            March 28^th, 1863

 

Well Old Chank

                        I rec^d your very wellcome letter day before yesterday and was very gald glad to hear from you again I havent any news to write you this time I am well and enjoying my self first rate and I hope that this will find you the same the weather has been very dry and warm but has been raining the most of the time for a week and quite cool we had a Briggade drill yesterday it was a very nice thing / there is 4 Regts in our briggade 24^th, 34^th, 11^th Indiana and 29^th Ny about as good a briggade as there is in the South commanded by Colonel McGuiny we have Co drill in the fore noon we are getting pretty well drilled we are drilling mostly on the bayonet exersize I think we will do to go into a fight soon I suppose that there is some copperheads up there tell them that they want to keep dark when the soldiers get home I rec^d a letter from John Edgerly a few days since he was all right I have not / heard from John Wilber for a long time he is in the Co. A. 77^th Reg Ill Vol I wonder how Pat H would like to have tige drafted I wish that Set and Ben could be drafted it would do me good. I suppose that you think of farming by this time I may be there to help you harvest but cant tell I dont expect to come home before the war closes I do not think of much more to write tell grandma if she is mad to bite a rale /

 

tell uncle Chauncey that he must write to Devilsch ben tell ann to write I if write to one it is just as good as if I write to all please write as often as you can for it does a fellow considerable good to hear from civilization once in a while good bye for this time

 

                        yours truly

                                                old Ben

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