August 29th 1862 Camp Tary Mattoon Coles Co. Illinois Thursday morning eight o'clock just being released of gard [sic] duty I now take the opportunity to rite you a few lines to inform you of our present condition. We are al able for duty. I have felt as well since I came back as ever did. This morning I feel a little bad becase [sic] I have bin on gard 8 hours out of twenty-four and have had no sleep but I tel you my deer wife that I am much encouraged knowing that I am doing my duty. Also my love [for you] and the children grows stronger and stronger and when I think of home and then my country what my poor famly [sic] has to bare and then to think what the hole union has to suffer it makes me rejoice to think that I have enlisted to fight and also feel anxious to fight under the glorious flag of our union. I wil just say that I cannot express my feeling and my love to you al and to al mankind. I long to here [hear] from you and the children. I want to know of your health ? has just received a letter from his mother. She states that they are al well. It is a very tuching [sic] letter. I started a letter to you the twentieth. I sent it to Melrose ? byAlfred couden in order to save money. I wil send this one by some body if I have any chance. I want you to save all of my letters until I get home. I wil just say that our regiment which is the seventy-ninth was mustered in the service yesterday evening and the oficer [sic] said that we should have our uniform today and the mony [money] today or Saturday. I wish you had bin here yesterday for there was a sight to be seen. It was nice to see the regiment mustered and to here [hear] the drums and the singing of women and the speachs of women and men. I tel you it was enough to make one shed teers [tears] the command is given just now to fall in ranks to ? our uniform s? move at ? Fryday [Friday] evening twenty-ninth A. D. 1862 My deer companion I wil just say this evening that we have got our uniform on except my pants they are so large that I cannot ware them. I got two pare of drawers two pare of socks one pare of shoes two wollen [woolen] shirts one coat one hat or cap and I would just say to you bory [borrow] some mony of saly and get your things that you kned [need] for we ma [may] not get our mony for severl [several] days. It is now a getting dark and I wil soon have to quit writing for the present but I wil just say that I will male [mail] this letter tomorrow right here and send it to the [illegible] expecting to right a little more tomorrow morning before I male it. I thank god for his goodness [sic] and mercy toward me and hope and prey [sic] that his blessing may rest on you to night and that you are hapy in his love and that his grace is sufficient for you. May god bless you is my prair amen. Good by for tonight Saturday morning august This morning [illegible] in good health and in good spirits we was at meeting last night. We could here preaching evry direction. Where we was at the soldiers got to shouting. I wil just say that if you was with the soldiers one week you would not wonder at a soldier being a hapy man. Why I feel more incouraged more every day. A man can live a beter Christian here than he can at home. If he [illegible] yet there is cark playing and [illegible] going on at the time but the wickedest man on the ground seems like a brother as for me I am betermind to serve god faithful til I die. Tel mother that I wil rite her a letter before long. We are cold to fol in rank to drill. So no more at present Good by