1862
        Old Point Com Dec 25
Dear Brother Henry
            It is with much
pleasure that I once mor take
my pen in hand to write you
a few lines to let you know
whats the matter   I am as well
as usual and I hope this will find
you the same   I am enjoiing my
self first rate now for I have
got my cloths so that I can go
out and travel around   I went
out for the first time last Sun
yesterday I traveled over 2 miles
and today I traveled a good deal
if I could only have had my
cloths before I should have been
verry near as tough as I was before
I was taken with the measles
Henry I had a Christmas Present
to day and I would not have taken
a great deal for and now guess
what it was if you can   well if you
cant I will tell you   it was your
letter and you cant imagine how
happy it mad me to have a letter
from you once more and to hear
that you was all well   I had not
received a letter from home before
in ___ days and I had begun to think
that I was a long time   it has been
7 days since I wrote home   I guess that
you will begin to think that something
the matter   well to tell the plain
truth of business there is a little
something the matter   well what it is
is this   the whole of the souldiers that
is well enough to get up and dress
himself (that is those that are in the
                 Chesapeake hospital
is going to be put on board of a steamer
and ___ some where but where it is is
more than I know   some days we are
going to our regiment which is in

Texas, but the old boss doctor of the Ches
Hospital says that we are going into
another hospital farther south   he
thinks the sick ones will get well quicker
___ and some thinks we shall go to New
York to a hospital but no one knows but there
is one thing that is pretty surtain and
that is we are going some where and that
before a great while to   we may go tomorrow
and we may not go in a weak but we
have got to be ready to go at a minutes
warning   the first we heard of it was last mon
we heard that we should start the
next day so I got my writing kit and wrote
a letter to Pa so if we did go I should
have one pretty much ready but we haint gone
yet   Oh how I would like to be up there
New Year   I rather guess that we would have
some bulley old times   well I suppose I
could be there by doing one thing and that is
by enlisting into the heavy artillery
I could get 30 days furlough and 60 do
bounty for 3 years but I have
hired out once and worked 5 months 
of my time so I guess I wont begin
back again   they are getting up a reg to
guard Fortress munroe for 3 years
    if I should get a furloug it would
but, last 3 years instead of 30 days   the re
from hear 6 to 8 runs away evrry night
I wrote Sidney a letter
the other day and I wrote some big truths
and some truths that there want a word
of truth in   I should have liked to have
a seen him when he was reading of it
to have seen them eyes of his stuck out
I persume you have seen or will see it
Henry I saw some pretty girls in my travels
yesterday   how did you come out speaking
peices   I should like to have been there and
heard you speak   you wanted to know if I could
sing   yes I can some but my voice is
verry heavy   I have got a first rate bace
voice   yes I got the letter that ma wrote
                         saturday
turn over

I think that Joseph Gilberts wife
is one most ___ affectionate
woman   my boots wear first rate   there
haint a hole in them yet   some of the
boys have about whiped 2 pares of government
shoes   yes I got them socks that ma sent me
yes I like a souldiers life as well as
I ever did   yes sirree   I have got to be a good
marksman now   you had better beleive
it   I haint shot a gun since I left Home
that is the truth   Jud is doing pretty well
the reason we did not haing him out to
air was he was so badly decayed that he
wouldent haing together   Yes Sam Bennet
is gaining fast   who is that schooler   tell
him or her as the case may be that I send them
my best respects which come out bully
Mack or trews wife what did they get
to fighting about.  the last letter you wrote to
was directed to Co. G. 114 reg NYSV Washington
D.C.   has pa got that paper I sent him
that stick of wood that was in it was a
peice of the old Atlantic steamer where
the lice was   I dont beleive that you can 
read this   if you cant write back and I will
write it over again   I had just so much
I wanted to write so I put it ___   well I
have wrote about all that I can think of so
I must close   write as soon as you get
this   direct the same as before   this from
your affectionate and everloving brother
Galutia H York to Henry C York
   I wish you all a happy new
year
      read this if you can
             so good by for
                 this time
  Oh Dear brother how I would
like to see you

direct the same as before and
if I am gone it will be forwarded
to me