Dear Father And Mother I thought I would answer your letter of the.2.that I got last night I was very glad to here from you and to here that things are going so fine: We have crossed the river since I wrote we have gon in to camp some say we will stay here some time I dont think any one knows how long we will stay here I hope we will git a rest we have bin having a hard time. We havnot seen any rebs since we came here. the.9.Ind. went out a bout.2.miles and found the reb pickets they drove them in and then come back. last sunday was awful warm we started that day and marched a bout 6 miles. there was 17 men sun struck in the division. They have ordered all up from the hospital that is able to come

They have sent Frank [i.e., Sgt. James F. Fryrear, Co. K, 84th Illinois Infantry] back he was very sick when he went back I havent herd from him since he left if he gits back where he can git some thing good to eat I think he will git well in a short time the rest of the boys are all well I believe that you know. I think the boys are very slack a bout writing it seams by the way you write that I write oftener than the rest of the boys I havent mutch paper to waste on John Sap he is well and he got every thing you spoke of I guess they all came that they sent I dont think that John has wrote since we left Blue springs he has no paper and no money and owes the Sutler.40. or 50 dollars There is some talk that we will git paid off before long we will git quite a pile I would like to have a bout 1 months pay. there is no way to send money from here home. we are a bout out of paper and we have to write short letters. there is nothing going on in camp. The a mount of brest works we have built on this campaign is twenty five thousand yards that is quite a line if it was all togeather I will have to quit write often

W. M. Maley & E. A. Maley