On Picket Near Light

House Point

Tuesday O^ct 11, 1864

 

My Dear Wife

                        i have at last got the letter you sent with your pictur in and i like it much it is a very good one how good the little fellow looks i am very much pleased i am looking for a letter in answer to my monney i suppoes that John Hustwaits gave you my shaving tools i sent them with him i will not shave again untill i come home their is not much to write about we are on picket along grants telagraph against deserters and straglers & bushwackers we have had two cool nights so cold we had one hevy frost we had the good luck to draw our over coats / just as the cold wether come to day it is warmer and we get along very well i tell you last night wen i had to get up i thought about you and the warm bed i tell you missy it is pretty hard lives down hear but i think we will come out all right we went out and picked up two men from dismounted camp they started out to get some boards to build quarters and got catched tell Huskey he will know all about it i sent a letter to father night befor last but it was so cold that i could not write half you must give him or tell him somthing wat i write in this that is about them boots i begin to want them i want the heels pretty good hights and the legs pretty good he will know just wat i want the best he can make and wen you get the monney you must pay him but write / to me first all about it how much you got and wat kind of monney it is state or goverment or bond i think after you pay him for the shoes & boots and the 20 dollars i borrowed of him you will want some yourself then if you get a 50 dollar bond it will be just the thing and if you cannot get the bond why we will have to fix it somehow i think the war will stop this fall and so does most of the boys i expect by the time you get this you will have one or both of my shirts done do not send them together that is both in one bundle for it will be to hevy i want them pretty bad now get them up as i told you now get father to make them boots as soon as he can out of good french [?] or stout calf skin do not make them to hevy but good and let the soles stick out like wen he used to make them fair stich / he will know wat fair stitch is they turn the stumps from hitting the upper they have them out hear so but they charge 17 dollars aint that bully now wen you answer this letter if you have got the monney why send me ten dollars if you have not got it why say so i have got a little left yet i do not men to keep much by me some of the boys has lost all theirs one in our company he knows were it went but you cannot get it back the man wat got it sent it home with the suttler we all know who got it but we cant prove it now dear wife give my best wishes to your father and george and mary and our people and all the rest you must think of me allways as i do you how i would like to be with you but some time i will has not this year passed away quicly i will never forget it their is an order for soldiers to get furloughs by Grant and i think i will try and get one how we all do wish the captin would come back if i knew were to send i would send him a letter Good By my Dearrie Henry H. Covert you Husband

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