1862 September 14

[The stationery is headed with an illustration of Liberty holding a shield with stars and stripes.

              Sept the 14th 186[?]
              Gennes [?] town  Dc
              Dear friend brother
              Now i take you
              my pen in hand
              to let you know
              that i am well
              and hope that
you are the same   I don’t
know as I have any news
to write you more than
you know now   But you
asked me in the letter
that I got last
night how what kind
of a living we have
here   if you beleive to
all that you hear
you will have enough
to do now i tell you
our rations is good
enough and plenty two

[page 2]
     We have hard bread
and soft bread   coffee
and tea with shugger
in it and some times
rice and beans and
a plenty of beef.  [word lined out]
all the time there
is a battle some
where   to day for
I can hear the guns
plain as day  Half
of my money will
come home to you
and it will come
to the town trasure
and you can get
it from there.  I got
five letters last night
and ambrose got
eight and we had
a happy time [-]
 [word lined out] there news.

[page 3]
in our regt yestrerday
that had a ribble
ball put put through
him   it struck him
in the arm  broke
the 2 halves and came
out the under his
sholder blade   he was
a drummer boy us
it was an axident
a some one discharged
there peice not noing
he was there   i saw
him last night just
after it was dar
an he was out on
the pardde [parade]  ground
with it just as if
nothing was the matter
I have written so
much that I cant
hardley hold my [word lined out] pen

[page 4]
[two letters lined out] in my hand   Where
I was to work yesterday
the grapes was so
that when I went
on under the vines that
I could not see up
through them and
they was so ripe and
nice that you would
liked them I know
that you would  there
was one man died here
yesterday with the fevver
his name was Gitchal
I never was any more
healthy in my life
than I am now.
I must leave you
now so good by
from your
        Brother
James Mc Glosthes [?]

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 828