1862 August 10 Fort Runyon

                              Fort Runyon  Augt 10/62

My Dear Wife,
                                      I hardly know what to
write, I could find a little fault, because I did'nt
receive a letter from you last night but that would'nt do one
might of good, for I reason in this way,Well: I suppose
I should have had one if she had had time
to have written one, I received two papers on Friday
last, the Cambridge Chronicle and the Boston Journal,
I dont know who sent them to me, I suspect that
Jo Barridge did, by the looks of the address. The weather
still continues hot, very hot, for the last two or three
days it has been the hotest weather I ever saw,and I
have seen some hot times, I think that I rather str-
etched the truth, but not the report, when I told
you of as many men's droping from the ranks on
the day they were reviewed by "Old Abe".  Tis ture
that many were overcome with heat, but I dont
think that anything very serious will come
out of it.  I believe that those afternoon drills are
now done away with, for the present, the last one came off
last Friday afternoon.  I have'nt seen anything of Bacheller
yet, Maybe I shall see him before you receive this.

[letter of Robert, an unidentified soldier from Lynn, Massachusetts in Co. M, 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, will continue on the 12th]]