Dear Father and Mother

I will answer your leter that was wrote the .2. of this month I was very glad to here from and to here you was all well. I hope this will find you as well as I am at this time.
     I was on picket last night I had a very good time it seams good to not be shot at all the time like we have bin for the last 4 months.. this is the .12. We found out we could git some meal in town last night so I quit writing and went for it We had to pay $2.50 cts a sack they

would hold a bout a bushel and a half and after we sifted it it was a bout half gone it was ground very coars we got it from an old reb he was afraid it would be confiscated we are short of rations we only draw three quarter rations of bread and no poark and but little beef and we have to have some thing to live on if we have to buy it that money you sent me come in good play. we have not got our pay yet and I do not know as we will git it for a month yet no one can tel I think we will git it before we go on an other campaign. some of them will be apt to rebell if they donot git pay before long they ow us .8. months they have done with out so long

they are gitting tired waiting..
     Our picket line is through the battle ground that was fought on the .22. of July it was an awful hard fight I know by the looks of the ground their is works built in every shape you can immagin they are fronting every way the timber is all cut up with bullets and shells. I counted in one place the graves of .24. rebs all in one row besides some scattered around close and I saw whare they had buaried .41. of our men in one place they was mostly Ohio troops.
     Wilber Scribner was here a little while ago he is trying to git to go home he is not very well. he said he thought he would call around

and see you if he got home. They are giting very strict the .Col.comd our brigade was a round the day I was on picket and said the first man he caught setting down or with out his gun in his hands he would take 2 months pay a way from them. that is a thing he cannot do their is an order ishued that they cannot take pay from a soldier and I am glad of it it does not punish a soldier any and likely his folks at home could make good use of the money if they had it I am glad that order come out for their is lots of officers that would like the advantage of a man that way. Their is lots of cursed mean men in this army.