I made a mestake I rote

                                                one side up and the other

                                                down excuse me this for

                                                the mestake

 

Jefferson Barracks Mo

Aug the 12^th 1864

 

A fiew lins to day the wether is cloudey and coole to day and I thought I wold drop you a fiew lins to let you no that I am a live and in good helth at this time only my eys tha are not well yet tha dont feel as well to day as tha hav for a day or to back tha hurt of a morning worse than eney other time tha feele in the morning when I get up like I had bin in som olde smokey cabin where the was plentey you no how I feel I think I hav took som colde last nite I lay with my window open and the mesketoes bit me vary bad last nite I cant sleep mutch of a nite I lay half the nite or more every nite and cant sleep / and do you no the reason I think that I do I studey about home and I want to be with you so bad that I studey a bout you and the Children the first thing when I wake of a morning and the last thing when a lay down at nite if I cold be with you I wold hav som company and cold see som pleasure with you I still live in hops that I will see you all before long the time pases a long sloley and every day brings us one day closer to eternetey and let us try to be prepared to meet each other on the brite shores of eternal gloury Oh let us be prepared for heaven and its thare we will find rest for our soles and pray to god to bless us and that he may bless the rulers of the nation and make them god fearing men and that tha may use means to bring this ware to a speadey close and our soldiers all / returne home to thare fameleys and that we may hav peece on our land and become a nation of peece and hapiness thrue the hole land

 

we hav no news mutch from Shearmans armey and no news from the 23 Redg if you hav pleas let me no our boys has had harde fiting to do thare I hav not got my descriptiv Role yet but I hav rot to the Capt and another to [?] whear mine was left when I was sent to Nashville

 

if I dont get to come home before or a ganst the 20 of this month I will not come till my time is out or I get discharged I hav to wate till tha get redey to giv me one before I can come home one thing I will hav to hav a pare of pants and I cant tell when my descriptiv list will be hear and I will hav to by a pare / and I hav not got money a nuff to by them and some to come home and if you will send me five dollars I will by me too pare I can get them for the same that we pay goverment for them I want to get me a pare of pants to take home when I come that cost too dollars and a half a pare if I had ten pare of them at home I cold get 4 or 5 dollars for them a peece

 

So I will hav to close soon I truley hope when those lins comes to hand tha will find you all well and doing well rite as soon as you can

 

I remane yours as ever truley

                                                            J. W. Sanders

 

                                                            R. A. Sanders

SOURCES