Fort Donelson                                                                                                 June 13^th 1863

 

                                                                                                            Well friend chank

your letter came to hand in good time to cheer me up a little I have been unwell for a while back and have not been able to do much but am in hopes to get along without any serious sickness though I was threatened pretty hard with a fever there several of the boys complaining now they have got colds and feel kind of down Jones he is all right yet makes a pretty good soldier Our new breast works are nearly completed now there are between 200 & 300 Niggars at work on them the heat dont seem to / Affect them much they are a hardy set of beings can endure almost any thing

 

what do you think of the prospect of the War ending soon I think it looks rather dubious at present but I guess old Grant wil get Vixburgh and no mistake but then after that there are other places that wil take hard fighting to take

 

Ben must have been in a pretty hot place there at Port Gibson to had so many of his comrads killed and wounded he must of thought his time might come next you wanted to know if I had heared how Aunt Martha was a getting along a settleing up that estate I do not any more than this they wrote me that Ogden & Bundy had paid off all their notes except the ones that they / gave for the rent corn and that they are a going to stand trial on I hope they wil get so badly beaton that they wil want to stick their head in a hole some whare Jane is a going to have that tumor in hur neck operated upon by a Dr from Rock Island I think it will be a pretty particular job dont you

 

Oh yes I like to forgot to tell you we had a horse race here day before yestarday one of the Cols and a citizens horse that lives out in the country $50 bet on a side they run 400 yards and the citizens horse beat and won the money

 

            Well I dont think of any thing more so good by for this time Wright often to

                                                your Old friend J Edgerly

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