1862 October 3 Norfolk, Va.

                          Norfolk, Va.
                   October the 3, 1862
Dear wife  your moste kind and
lovin letter came to hand the 2
and I was very glad to here
from you once more to here that
you was well but was very sory
to here a bout those boys and
all in my [?] o you dont no
now bad it makes me feal
to think that all the best
boy mus be slain o it made
me feal so bad I cold not
hardley content my self I do
not no how soon it ma be
my lat to be numberd with
those that so lately has falen
but I trust in god that I
may return safe home to
the arms of my love

[page 2]
I hope the war will soon
end so I can come home and
see you all now dear wife you
tell father to fix the sisturn
so [?] cant git in a [?] 
if you no will knapp address
pleas send it to me for
I wold like to rite to him
you seem to think that I
wont help him some [?]
I wold help if I cold all that
he did not take very good
care of me when when I was sick
but if I was whare he
was is i wold try and help
him we lay in a very
nice camp the nicest place
we have bin in sense we
left Washington the first
sexshon is a bout 6 miles
from here and the centor
sexshon is a bout 10 miles
     from here

[page 3]
and we lay in barrack
and all we half to do
now is to cook and eat
how long we may lay here
we cant tell we may half
to go to Suffolk they are
a sending a good menney
troops of in that drecttion
but I hope that that
if we half to stay in the
army this winter we may
lay here we have not
draw our pay yet they
ow me 5 monts pay now
and whdn we get our
pay I will send hom
fifty dolars to you
  well i will hald
to bring my letter
to a close buy saing
gold buy
     this is from edward
  shepard to his wife

[page 4]
pleas rite soon
Drect youre letter to
Edward Shepard the 7
New York Battery
In Care of P. Cregan
Norfolk, va.
   Edward Shepard
tell father and mother
tl tell father and mother
thay must not git uneacey
a bout me

Edward Shepherd/Shepard, 7th New York Light Artillery, from Duchess County, N. Y.

This letter appears to be in Shepherd's own hand.  Most of his letters were written by fellow soldiers for him.

MSS 12631