Brashear City. May 7th, 63
Dear Father and Mother
                 I once more
take my pen in hand to write
you a few lines in answer to
your most prescious letter of
Apr. 12th. which I received last night
and you cant imagine with what
joy I received it for it had been
a fort nigh allamost since I had
received a letter from you and I
had begun to look rather sober but the
sun shines today   I have been having
rather of a down spell with the diarrhea
but I am better now and am in good
spirits today and I hope this will
find you all well and enjoiing yourselves
it is rather lonesome hear now for
their haint only 6 of Co. g. in camp now
the rest have all gone up the tesh to
New Iberia   there haint only 20 of our
reg. left on the Camp ground  turn over

I will tell you who is left hear ofCo g.
Uncle Steve Jud Sam Brand  Matthew
burdick  Albert Chesebrough and
myself.  Capt Tucker was hear day before
yesterday   he was sick and did not go with
the reg.   the Capt is homesick.
Our army is doing things up brown
in La.  they are driving the rebs and
taking everry place they come to   they
haint took vixburg but the rebs
are evacuating it but it is surrounded
so they cant get away  when that place
and fort hudson is taken then
the Mississippi river is cleared from
the rebs so that the steamers can
run without being molested.  the
rebbels have about made up their
minds it is no use to fight.  so
they are giving themselves up and taking
the oath of allegiance  the thing is
comeing to a head now and the
time will soon be when the rebs are
no more I hope.  our boys begin to
get sick of this business I guess

Oh how I wish I could be to home to
help you this summer for I know
you kneed my help but it
haint so to be.  how I wish I could
have been up there in sugaring.
I have had a mess of new potatoes
and they was good size to   I had
apeice of blackbury pie to day   black
burys are all most gone   some of the
boys have had a mess of string beens
how much sugar did you make this spring.
yes I should think that Procter and
Purdy are doing things on a big scale
and I hope they will prosper but Skips
case I think is rather doubtfull.  I should
think that they was having rather high
times up in the bowels of brookfield.
I dont think it will agree with Hellen
to be a landlady for if she gets to be 
much larger there wont be room for
the skipper.  have they done anything
to luke about the hay yet.  how does
Dudley and cal get along   I suppose
they tear things

Judson has got about well Uncle Steve haint verry well today he says his bones akes and he has got the headache and he says he feels as if he was going to have a run of the fever. there was one of general Bankses staff shot when he was comeing down the river the other day there was a reb hid in the brush and I suppose he calculated to shoot banks but his staff was all with him so the reb could not pick out the General for he dont wear his shoulderstraps when he is traveling Eggs are worth 60 cents a doz. butter 60 cents a pound Cheese 50 cents a pound codfish 20 cents a lb. potatoes 2 dollars a bushel meal 2 dollars a bushel flour 12 dollars a barrel and up in the rebs country it is worth 80 dollars a barrel and they could not get it at that...my cloths wear well my pants haint only one hole in them and that is at the bottom of one leg my shirts and coats are good my boots are wearing out some but not bad I have got a new pair of shoes. has James Ingals been to Conn. Uncle Steve says he has and he expects he went down to see Emma. there has more of Co. G. just come our reg has gone 50 miles farther up the river and these 3 want well enough to march so they come back. I dont know as you will beleive me but I am going to spend the fourth of next july in Madison Co. so save me some of that cider for we shall want it to do the haying on. well I guess this will do for this time so I must close direct as befor. write as soon as you get this. I remain as ever your most affectionate son. Galutia