1862
Fortress Monroe Nov 20
Dear Father Mother
Brothers and Sisters
             It is with much
pleasure that I set myself
pen in hand to write you a
few lines in answer to your
most welcomed letter of the
12th which I received last Tuesday
I am well and enjoiing good health
and I hope this will find you
the same   we are on the steamer
Atlantic yet and there is no
propects of getting off right
away   we are piled in hear rather
thick   we have got bunks built
up one right over another down in
the hold of the ship   each man
is allowed 18 inches wide and
6 feet long to lay in   we have to
lay down to eat for there haint

haint but 2 and a half feet
between our bunks and we have
to stay in our bunks to eat
we go ashore about everry day to
stir around and air ourselves   the
boys have had 2 or 3 battles   we have
come out victorious so far but
I dont know how long we shall
be   so I tell you now it is quite a
sight to see a thousand men
drew up in a line of battle along
the seashore all stripped of bearassed
fighting lice   boddy lice I mean
them that is larger than a cornel
of wheat with US under their
tail and there is some that has
got US marked on their backs
there is one man in Co D that
is so lowsy he is in danger
of his life   they got started with
him the other night and got him
pretty much out of the port

hole before he got waked up
I have not found but one on me
yet but I expect to be covered
with them before I get out of this
for I cant help myself   as I know
of the Measles is pretty plenty
among us   I expect everry day to
come down with them   you wanted
to know if I thought we should
have a battle when we landed   if
we dont it will be the first fleet
that ever landed that dident have
a brush   we got our pay today   I got
$21 and 23 cts   my time did not comm
mence untill I was sworn in   I 
am going to senf fifteen dollars
in this letter   I shall keep the rest
Uncle Steve got $28 and some
cents   my enlisting under James
___ did not amount to anything
they could not have held me any
way   I enlisted that day when we got
down to Norwich there to hubbardsville
so you see my time did not commence
till then.   you must not worry
about me for I shall write to you
once in about so long if I dont get
no letter from home and shall
always write before starting on a
long journey   I have about given
up writing to anyone only to home
it takes a good many postage
stamps   I would like them socks
but the mittens I dont think
I shall want   the socks you may
send right along so I can get
them before we go from hear   is
there many shin plasters in
circulation around there   I drew
quite a lot of them today   I 

[letter ends here]