Jacksonville Florida June 14^th 1864

 

            Dear Wife

                        Yours of May 29^th was joyously recieved last evening and was the first letter I have recieved from you for a little over three weeks and I had begun to fear that something was the matter with you or that you had forgotten a certain individual in the army who feels quite an interest in your welfare but I am glad to find it was nothing of the kind only you were hard at work shoemaking of which I hardly had an idea. Well if you will work at shoemaking I cant help it but you must not be to ambitious and work too hard for you know that if you attend / to it too closely it is very unhealthy work. By the way I got a letter from Henry last night also and he tells me that all the girls and boys but him has got married but "such is life". He says also that the letter I wrote to Andrew M. was not well relished by John R and the rest of the folks. There is nothing new going on here now only General Birney is here and has been sending out small parties of a hundred and fifty or such matter on raids he sent out two companies of our Regiment today but they saw nothing of any rebels and I guess they are all in Virginia. Well it rains down here about the easiest of any place that I ever saw. It dont make any difference which way the wind comes from if there is a cloud in sight it is sure to rain and the thunder is very / heavy also. Well I am not going on Provost Guard any more at least so Gen^l Birneys Adjutant General told me this morning. The white troops have nearly all left here the 144^th N.York left three days ago and the 107^th Ohio all but four companies left this morning and now we have but about two thousand men here in the whole place. By the way please to remember that I should like to have some photographs of you when you can make it convenient to send them to me. You spoke of my looking poor I am not hardly so fleshy as usual owing to its being so hot down here all the time. Well news here are rather a scarce article and we dont get any except from the army of the Potomac and that is rather limited 

 

By the way you must be carefull and take plenty of exercise while at work on shoes and remember to not work too hard because too close application is very unhealthy at such business. I cannot tell you how much I should like to see you but I cannot now I am sure of that but as soon as I can possibly get out of the army I shall certainly do it and come home to see you. I will try for a furlough as soon as there is a ghost of a chance for me to get one but when that will be I cannot tell anything about. Well it is growing late (about half past eleven o'clock) and I must close this letter and will write again soon so good night give my respects to all the folks and tell Mother Evans if you see her that I am well and I am as ever your loving and faithful husband               Joseph H. Prime

 

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A kiss for my darling from your husband Joe good night

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