Fort Donelson                                                                                                 Oct 15^th 1862

 

Well Chank I recieved a letter from you the other day all right and it did me a heap of good You say that Benn has enlisted and gone into the service well Chank I think that he will make a good soldier if he dont get dissatisfied it is a pretty hard place to be if a fellow annt pretty contented as a general thing when a fellow is at home he may think it is a nice thing to go to war but when a fellow comes to leave his soft bed and good shelter for the hard cold ground and a blanket for a cover inside of a thin tent when a fellow comes to sum up all the comforts of home for the / privations of camp life it makes a good many feel kind of home sick if the 83 Regiment could have the privalage of going home I presume three fourths of them would go But there is no such thing as that they are fast You say that we must not let Almond learn us any bad tricks you may depend he that he ante he and Hank both have been sick for about five weeks so they have not been able for duty Chank I am the only one out of 20 that have tented & eat togather that has not been sick I alone have been able for duty evry day since I enlisted but I tell you what it is Chank I had a hard one the other night standing picket / We have to stand on picket for 24 hours Well I was detailed to go on picket and about 10 AM it began to rain and it rained all that day and that night and wet my clothes to my skin and I like to froze to death at that it was two or three days before I got dry I got a letter from home the other day they tell me that old Luce has got a colt they also say that they and Old Henry Whitcomb are a going to send us a barrel of cider apple sauce that will come in play you had better believe Jane wrights to me that the Deacon & Tine have been down there to by some 20 bushels of apples apiece but she says they did not get them She says that they have lots of friends now days they / always do have when they have any thing I dont hardly know what more to wright so I think that I will close as it is pretty near drill time we have to drill in the AM one hour and a half and then go out on Dress Perade at Sun Down and that winds up the day So I will wind up this letter by wishing you well give my respects to all enquireing friends and axcept this from your friends

                                                                                                John Edgerly

                                                                                                Ill Vol

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