Snyders Bluff Miss July 11^th 63

 

Dear companion and children i am well hopeing and praying these lines may reach you the same. i was happy to receive a letter from you this morning yes and so thankful to hear that you ware all well i thank you for that sweet little pink i will put it in my little testament so i can sho it to you when i come home with lots of other things i got some little shels yesterday to bring home. i have lots of books and little notions that i would like to bring home with me the books the chaplin gave me but i dont kno whether i can get them home or not for when we march we are not alowed to have much hauled in our camp waggon but i am all rite as long as i am cooking for i can have a little box and put it in with my other boxes of provision. well i have been cooking for some time and i expect to cook for a long time i have no other duty to do not eaven to answer to roll call cap says i can keep things straight and he wants me to boss the cooking arangement and it sutes me first rate the reg has been out about [faded] they are now near [faded] from hear. well [faded] hear in camp [faded] but it [remainder faded] /

 

our company and from 4 to 8 in the other companys. well all we have to do is to draw our rations and cook and eat them we have plenty coffee sugar tea beans rice fresh beef hams bacon sides shoulders and picled pork peas and homeny and vinegar and molases and crackers and lite bread we aut not to complain still some will say they will starve we have nothing to eat i dont whether they had as good at home these are recruits an old soldier will not say a word but laugh at them. well our reg was in a fight a few days since on big Black river there was but one killed a Sargent of comp E and 11 wounded none of our comp ware hurt the wounded are in the general hospital at the landing about a mild from hear. there are are about 2 hundred sick there. corporel Hagerty of our camp died a few days ago he had been sick a long time i had to make his cofin i had nothin but some old bords that i pickt up whare a reg had been campt well i plained the inside and got up a decent box i wish all had as good well keep in good heart you wanted me to let you know how it was about being kept after our time is out i will tell how that is they wont keep us only 30 days and then only if there is likely to be a battle but [faded] will be discharged 4 months [remainder faded]

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