T Sunday June the 11 64

Bridgeport Ala

 

Friends at home

I now take my seat after inspection of army to write you some few lines to let you know that i am in good health & sperits, hoping those few lines may find you enjoying the same blesing

 

The health of the Co is only insodentally good 19 went to sick call this morning

 

Wel mother i received yore letter on friday which was dated the 3^rd of June it was the first one had received for 4 weeks from home I had almost began to think that you had forgot that you had any boy in the 133 Regt but i intended to write evry 2 weeks anyhow whether you would answer it or not. you said you would like to send me the Rockville paper but i gess it was better to send it to Sarah, for i got one of the same number last tuesday of corse the letter from the 21^st was the first thing that i read and i read / it in such a hury that i had to read it over again i think it a very good thing that temperance meeting but we have no use for one here for bridgeport never smelt whiskey not even the officers can get any thing stranger than logger beer and i would not drink it if i had a barel full, so you need not be oneasey about it me getting drunk atall of corse you have a good reason for wishing your boys to be sober men for you have saw the effects of whiskey to your sorrow I donot know who sent me the Rockville paper mabey pap signed for it as i told him to or maby some temperate person sent it to me who was fool enough to think i would get drunk but it dosent make any differenc to me who sent it i was mighty glad to get it

 

Wel now for something else the 135 Regt came here the other day i went over to see them and I found Frank Balser he belongs to C^o H 135 he thinks that soldiering is a mighty hard bisness / he says that he does not get enough to eat that is of the right kind he says that he cannot eat sow belly & hard tack but i think he if he would have to live on parched corn about 3 mo. he would come to the mind for my part i think we get too much to eat i suppose the reason was that i got such short rashions when in East Tenn.

 

Im mighty well satisfied with what we get to eat still our duty is pretty heavy we go on guard or work on the fort {that they are building here} evry other day & when we are off we have to drill 6 hours in the hot sun no wondr that the boys are getting sick for a fellow has to have sand in his craw to stand up to such duty as we have

 

            Wel i will leave of now and go to meeting and finish afterwards

 

            well now i have come from meeting & ate my dinner and washed my face & hands & sit down to finish we had our meeting in the River Depot it is built right on the / bank of the river where the boats can land it is a mighty nice cool place for to have meeting there is meeting this evning in the 126 Ohio it is a dutch Regt they are camped right a long side of us & there is meeting a negro meeting right close here this evning and there is meeting in the {US Christian Chappel} so you see we have an abundance of meetings of all sorts & collors. Our old Chaplain is a verry clever fellow he is a Missionary Babtist although he isent near as sharp as old Summerbell.

 

            Oh yes i forgot to tel you that Breese Carr is a capt in the 135 Regt i saw him when i went over to see Frank he makes a heep better officer than i thought he would i think he is a verry good fellow he appears in camp to be as common as old Tomme he dosent put so much stile as a heep of the officers do in this American 100 Day service I saw that Capt Mulls C^o was in the 137 Regt they are somewhere on the road between here an Nashvill I wish they would come on here for I would like to see old Capt and his boys you never said in yore letter whether Rufe & Tell was well or not but I suppose they are from what the paper says I wish i had went into that Regt but there will be time enough for that if i live to get through this service wel i quit writing now & stretch out in my tent & sleep untill meeting time. hoping the corn will grow fast and death to northern butternuts

 

I quit so good by to you all

from your son Bart

to his mother Sarah Dooley

Bethany P^o

Park C^o            Ind

 

B W Dooley

Bridgeport       Ala

C^o G 133^rd Regt Ind Vols

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