Ballon Guard Clouds Mills

Virginia Dec 22/61

 

Dear Brother & Sister

                                    I Received youre ever welcom letter this morning and was glad to heare from you and to heare that you was all well I am well at presant and I hope thies fiew lines will finde you engoying the same state of health. we have had no fighting here yet but are expecting it every moment we had three taken prisners the other night out oure Brigade while on picket. the devls are getting quite Bolde againe we will have to give them a foot race and drive them back farther and they will behave them selves for a while againe they are a cowardley / set of devels they wont stande to fight but if they can get in the woods or bushes they fight lik devls but they have to bee at some thing to keep themselves warm for it is a littel coole nights heare but warm through the day. I am not in camp at presant I am in the balloon guarde at presant and will be from campe fifteen days before I return so I shall be out untill after the hollow days but I shall try to keepe sober and engoy my self as well as I can with a piece of salte horse or pickel pork for my diner and tope off with a good smoke out of my olde pipe and lay off as large as life

 

you muste all mistakes in this for there is a damde olde Sesesh here and his tung runs lik an olde bell clapper he hainte / more than about half witted and as drunk as a bitch at that I wish that him and all the reste of them was in h—l or some other good place

 

I believe I have nothing more to wright at presant so I will bring my letter to a close by stating that I received a letter from John the other day and one from the Angel and one from Sam all in one maile

Nothing more at presant

But Remain as ever youre

Brother and well wisher

                                    D^nl R Forgus

 

P.S.

Wright soon and Directe youre letters to Alexandria and not to Washington it takes so long for them to come as the maile carrier does not go there but once a week

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