Bridgport Ala

May the 10^th 1864

 

                                                                                                                                    Dear Father and Mother it is with plesure that I take my pen in hand to inform you that I am well and harty and I hope that those few lines ma find you all well and doing well

 

well father I hav no nues of importence to rite at this time we ar on a gun bote and we hav just made a trip and we hear all the rumors that is a going so it is not worth while for me to tri to tell you what is flying a round but I can tell you something a bout our trip that we / hav just made we started from her and went to Dekater Ala for the first trip that has bin made by our men sence the war broke out that is by wauter we had three rite sharp little fites with them but tha could not hurt us a tall but I shudent wonder if we made som of them bite the dust I think that I fetch won of them up to limrick our boys was all a shooting and I could not see enney thing to shoot at and I got up and was looking for som of the rebs and I seen won and draud up my gun to shoot and he shot at me but he mist me and I shot at him but I did not / see him leav there so there must hav sumthing hapend him we fetched two prisners back with us

 

well a nuf of that I will try and give you sum of the reports that is fli fliing flying around tha sa that the rebs is falling back from Chattanooga and that old old lee is a falling back to richmon if tha fall back mutch more tha will hav to gump of and I fear that tha wont find the bottem verrey soon after tha start well a nuf of that I suppose that you hav hurd from will forder sence I hav he had the measels when we left Chattanooga so that he / had to go to the hospital he was broke out with them nice so that I did not think tha would hurt him but he has not cum yet I made shore that he would be here when we got back but I was disapointed but I think he will be here in a few days we will start back to dekater in the morning

 

Well I must close by saing that I hope to remain your loving sun til deth pleas rite soon and often J M^cMullen

to G and C Hubbard direct as

follers J W M^cMullen

            US gun boat Brigport

                                                Ala

in care of Cap Naylor

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