Dear Father

I received yours of the first of June this morning and was glad to hear that you were well and the neighbors surrounding you The boys are all well and in very good spirits I suppose you will see by the heading of my letter that we have not left yet and do not know as we shall for a while I am in hopes not for I like this place very well Things look some as though we are to be mounted some say that our horses are in Lexington but I guess it is all camp rumor though for I do not think it will be the luck of the 100th Regt to be mounted for all that we may be though It will be much easzer to march on horseback we shall have to be on the go all of the time rain or shine no diference which

The news from Vicksburg is very good to day the report is that Port Hudson is taken with considerable many prisoners and cannon if such is the case the fall of Vicksburg is almost certain It would seem by the papers that the Gunboats are in front of fort Sumter or near there and I suppose if they attact it again its fall is almost certain and if those 2 places are taken it will effect the rebs agree I wish the paymaster would make his grand rounds for I am out of pocket When we are payed off I do not think I shall send any home for if they see fit to give me a furlough after a while I shall want money to pay my fare home and if I do not have it I shall have to borrow and I would not like that so well and the boys would not like to let me have it

boys he will answer me Lieut Smith is sick now he was out to Manchester and some he said could get Whiskey he borrowed one of the boys canteens and filled it it belonged to a sergt at that and he gave it to me to keep and he told me not to let any one have any not because he did not want them to have any but because he could not trust them Well I have bragged myself up just about enough so I will close good by write soon and all of the news and give my love to Mother and the babys and reserve a share for yourself

H E Randall

Z H Randall