Monday Aug the 25 1862

in a barn on picket guard

 

Well mother I received yore kind letter on the 13^th and I was mighty glad to here from home once for it was the first letter that i had received from home the bous are all well except James Felton and Will Tough they are down here now but they are not right well yet and i am afraid that they will not be wel verry soon if they stay here in camp for there is nothing to eat but hard crackers and old bacon and rice and shugar and coffee and that is pretty hard to fatting on but i am as well as i was at home th we so we are on picket guard on a road nere a barn there is a shed to the barn and a wagon in the shed and i am in the wagon a writing / and some of the boys are a pling marble and some are in the wagon you told me to tel you whether Jack lough was drunk or not he was alittle tight as we went up to indinapolis an I never saw him the next day but he came down to henderson with the recruits we landed here tomorrow 2 weeks ago and I have been on picket evry Tuesday and thursday and evry Saturday and sunday and we have to be on 24 hours i have been on picket 8 times since i have been here but i donot mind that much for we donot drill any now for we have to stand guard so much that we have to sleep in the day time I told you that Bony and I had made the promice to not drink any more whiskey but i will have to take that back i guess / for that is about all we have to drill keep us alive but you need not be afraid of me agetting dunk for i was two wel raised to do that there is a gretdeal of gamling and playing cards here but I donot now one card from another and I donot now think that i ever will when we are out on picket and the bous get out me there deck of cards i get out my testament and do what i promiced you i would do and that was to read it and study it and i think that i follow yore advice pretty well for to be in the army for it was is a mighty hard place but i think that i am a bout as good a chap as i ever was we have heerd that the 21 regt was taken prisners i donot know whether it is so or not. / we I have been out on sevral scouting parties an we have taken 20 horses 3 yoke of oxen 12 head of cattle an sevre prisners tel pap that i would like hi if he would send me a bout a dozen postage stamps for there is none not any here to be had and i think that many would do me the rest of my time I have money yet but when there isnot any to by more is of no use write to me soon and tel toby to write about evry thing on the farm for i would like to here how they are a getting a long

from yore son

B W Dooley

 

Camp Henderson Ky

78^th Regment I Vols

in he care of capt.

J W Humphry Co D

 

to Sarah A Dooley

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