Atlantic Nov 15th 1862
	Dear Parents
It is with much pleasure
that I take my pen in hand
to write you a few lines to
let you know where I be
and how I get along   I am well
and enjoiing good health   I
am on the Steamer Atlantic
and the Atlantic is on the
James River within 2 miles
of Fortress montroe   I have not
received a letter from you
since I wrote last and dont
know when I shall get one so
I thought I would write seeing
as I had a chance but I hope this
will find you all well and in
good health   I have had a ride
on the water and calculate to

to have another one before long
but where I dont know   we run
aground just as we started 
from Baltimore and had to stay
6 days before they could get the
old boat off   we have an easy time
of it now   nothing to do and plenty
of help to do it   we all went to the
shore yesterday and had a chance to
look over the fortress and I saw
the greatest sight that I ever saw
before   I saw a quarter of an acre
of ground covered 4 feet with canon
balls and ___ shells  and 
there was a pile of grape shot as
large as our hop house or verry near
it and there was over 300 canons
some of them carried a ball weighs
440 pounds   there was 2 canons that weighs
over 60 tons apeice   them is
what you mite call popguns
and that is but a small part
of what I saw   Uncle Sam is
doing pretty well by me now
he is taking me over the world
and paying my expenses besides

paying me 13 dollars a month
but perhaps I am taking the
best of it now   it would have
cost me over 15 dollars to have travel/ed
as much as I have   I have seen a consiterable
of the world much not as much as I
shall see.  we have not got our pay yet
and no prospects of it   I bought
a ___ of paper the other day
it took all the money I had
excepting 2 cents and I shall have
to take that to pay postage on
this letter   ther is lots of the letters
that have been sent to the soldi/ers
been opened   I suppose it was to look
for money   the mail has just
come   I just got the paper
you sent me   I thank you ver/ry
much for it   I have a good many
leasure hours now and not mu/ch
to read.  I understand that jed
hide has enlisted   has he   I
did not think he could be ___
to enlist   who has enlisted around
there that I know   I guess the
nine months men will see hard
times   I guess that I should have get
that box if you had of sent it for
it will be quite a while before we shall
start again but never mind it now
Dan has not had a letter from Abey
in a good while   what is the reason
he is well and enjoiing his self first
rate   ther was a man came down with
the measles this morning   I expect
that I shall have them now for there
is about 400 men piled in together
and when we lay down we have to lay
as thick as 3 in a bed and 4 in the
middle   joseph gilbert has got the fever
and ague   I got a letter from Stephen
Coon and one from Alonzo the other
day   if I can get a paper I will send
you a peice of our bread we have to
eat now   it is bully good bread   ther
is lots of ships masts sticking up
around in the water that the rebbels
blowed up and distroid   our drum/mer
got his discharge and started for home
yesterday   he was not good for anything
well I have wrote about all that I can
think of now so I must close so good/by
for this time   write as soon as you get
this   this from your affectionate son
Galutia H York to Zebulon T and
Lucy F York
	Direct to
	Fortress Munroe Virginia
                instead of
                Baltimore