Bridgeport Ala

Wendsday evening July the 20 64

 

I now take my seat in front of my tent to answer yore most welcome epistle that i received this morning when came off of guard it surprised me verry much to se a letter from you when i broke open the envelope for you seldom ever write to youre boys in the army or any one else.

 

            Wel your letter found me in the best of health and spirets as usual i came in from guard reading letter then eat my breakfast and some of my bunkmates wanted me to go with them to gather blackberies so i concluded to go with them so we struck out for the Cumberlan Mountains when we arived there the ground was just coverd with blackberry bushes so we wasent long picking as much as we wanted and then we returned to camp to cook and eat them we will have a good mess of them i guess stew them and shugar them / according to taste and they will eat mighty well you say you are done harvesting i am mighty glad that you got through it as easey as you did i donot know how Jake Rhinehart will ever get his wheat out i think he would be apt to pay me now if i was there to help him but i guess i will not harvest much this season for any boddy i havent saw a bit of wheat since i left Ind neither have i saw a cornfield sin i left Tenn but one little patch a bout a rod sqr it has been in silk & tassel for nearly a month wel the boys says my berries are cooked & i must quit writing and go and eat them.

 

            Well now i will finish this letter now as i have eat my dinner and then i had to go a target shooting we have target shooting evry day & shoot 5 rounds i think we will get to be pretty good marksmans against our time is out but i donot see the use of waisting amunition for we will never kneed it for the rebs will never attack us here if they do they will get cleened / out shure for this place is well fortified we thought we were agoing to be attacked last friday night i was on picket and they made us set up all night i donot believe i ever was as sleepy in my life but there i had to set with my eyes open the whole blessed night and narry Rebbel did i see i gues it was a false alarm by somebody.

 

            Wel i got a letter from Sary the other day were all well up in boon when it was written she said that she had got a letter from Tell and he was well and so was Rufe i like to see him and like to know how he likes soldiering i expect he thinks it is a hard life espesily if he is homesick an i gues he would like to be at home to see Sary and the children as for my self i like it better than ever one reason is that i have no marching to do and we get plenty to eat it is not like it used to be in E. Tenn nothing to eat and all marching if and another reason is i have no wife & no children to morn for me and i am glad of it for then i can soldier without thinking of home all the time and the girls are nothing to me now you said that Miss Lizzie & Jake was agoing to get married if they are i wish they would hurry and do it up and quit acting the fool about it i cincerly hope that they will be maried before i come home for reasons that i will not mention at the present time.

 

            If i go to the army again i will go into the old 1^st i expect i cannot stay at home when i get there for this infernal rebelion has got to put down and im one of the boys to help do it for a soldiers life appears to suit me better than a quiet farmers life as you see i got sick when i went home last winter and i havent been sick an hour since i came to the army this time although i may get sick yet before my time is out if i havent got long to stay

 

            Well now for something else there was a fellow here from the 31^st his name was John Meachem i was on picket when he came he brought me a letter from bruse and gave it to the Orderly Sgt but i never got it untill he was gone he said he wanted me to send him some chewing tobacco that he could not get any where he was and that he was would like if i would send him a little money if i could wel the tobacco i could not send for i had no one to send it with but i wrote him a letter and sent him one dollar i thought that was as much as i could spare as i had spent a goodeal sin i came here for pies an cakes which i could do just as well without as with if i did not see them Well the boys are hurrying me to get done and go with them to the river and then i must go to an old nigger and get my shert as she has washed it

 

hoping to here from you soon i will leave you for the present tell tobe to

write to me if he has time

            ever yore true Son

Bart W. Dooley

C^o G

133 Regt Ind Vol

Bridgeport

Ala

 

Tel Selina & Martha

that i will answer their

letters next week

 

the boys are generly well that you know if you know any of them Tip Giger is complaining a little but i think he will get well pretty soon. he is a good soldier i believe he is all the one that you know in the Co except Chancy Richardson he is as fat as a pig

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