1862 October 8 Dismal Swamp

   Dismil Swamp
                      Oct 8th 1862
Dear Cousin
            Once more i take my
pen to sit down to answer
your kind letter that I received
last night. i was very glad
to here from you to see that
you was wel and harty my
helth is very good now for
me this summer  Dear Cousin you
spoke of me seeming so near to
you it is the same to me for
i have been with you and you
sister more then i have with
Hannah i dont know eny
difreance at all i want to
here from you as much as
i do Hannah i had a letter
from her last month she
was sell i have not

[page 2]
had a letter from Charley
for a long tim i fear he
is dead, but God know i
hope not for i want him
to live to go home if i dont
I have just got don writing
to Cousin Martha i got hers
last night with yours she felt
bad about Robert i pitty her
Oh Cousin i would give most
eny thing to see you to day or
to be at home out of this war
[?] but if i was at  home
perhaps i should do just the
same thing again so i gess i
am just as well of where
i am as i should be in eny
other Regiment or Company
for my work is not hard at
all it is the hardness of the
thing but to be away from
all of my folks so long its
hard is it not Cousin

[page 3]
but then if i had not come
out here perhaps i shold not
seen you for i wanted to stay
three monts for the folks used
to say to me when i was at
home that if i got a way i went
be back in three monts i wonder
what they think now is the three
monts up yet i guess it will
be  befor i get into Jefferson
again dont you gess so
[?] i gess i shall get a
chance to point my Gunn to
one more Rebbles befor i go
back to main i have news
to write this time
                        Pleas to give
my love to all of the folks
in south Jefferson to [?]
to PF Metts[?] and all of the
rest to Horace W i
must close so good by
for this time [?]

[page 4]
this is for you Cousin
A.C. Hopkins


[possibly Amariah C. Hopkins of the 24th Maine]

MSS 38-156