January 10th, 1862

Miners Hill VA Jan 10 1862

Dear Sister,

            I received your kind / letter some time ago, and just / as I was setting down to answer / it I discovered that Gust had/ written one so I thought I / would wait a little while. / Gust got your letter this evening/ & gave it to me to read / He will anxiously await the / arrival of the good things you/ are going to send. I suppose / mother is in the West by this / time, I hope she will have a good time, she deserves it. / There is some talk of us leaving/ this sometime soon I hope we / will as I am tired of this

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confounded place. / We have packed our new uniforms up to send into Wash- / ington, it will be Kept there until / we get into a place where we / will be permanently located./ Will Maclay received a letter / from his father that stated that / Ell Lyon would be here next / week. I tell you I will hail/ his arrival with joy unspeakable / I know of no other person I / would rather see than Ell. /

            I suppose you know I have been / appointed Bugler so I will have / a very easy time if we march / I will not have as much to / carry by 25 lbs as I used to have / whitch I call a big item / in my soldiering business.

            Tell Julia that I send my love / to her & thank her for the / kind present she is sending me / I suppose she still lives with/ you .   Gust was over at / the reserve last Sunday & found them all well & able / for their rations of fat pork / and crackers. We are all getting / along better than ever I expected/ I believe our regiment has the / best times that are going. We / have all got splendid rifles. / So if we get a job of killing rebels /we can do it up right.

            Our regiment is called the More- / head Rifles after senator Morehead/ from Pittsburgh.  As news / are pretty scarce I will have / to subside.

Your Bro

Gan

P.S. Gust sends his love & will write soon/ kiss the children for me.