Washington    Jan 25th 1863
	Dear Mother   I take
my pen to write to you and
still I hardly know how or
what to write if I did not
know that our loss was his infinate
gain I should be allmost heart
broken but we must be resigned
to the Lord in this most terrible
callamity which has fallen
upon us Father has gone and
left us but he has gone to 

the home of the blest, and we
have the promise if we are
true to the religion of Jesus that
we may one day meet him in
the heavenly City Mother thier
is some bright spots in this
thare is a chance of my coming home
as you did not give your consent
to my enlisting (and I thank you
for not doing so) you can employ a
lawyer and procure my Discharge
and I think it will not be cost
much either then I can come home
and take care of the property but now
they are Calling for the third
relief so I must go on guard.
two hours later I have just
come of from guard it is now
[illegible in original] I hope that when Uncle
Harrison hears of our bereavment 
he will come and see you

Mother I got those [dried?]
fruits which you kindly
sent to me but the bottles
of catsup were both broken by
the jaming of the box we have
been brigaded with the [5th?]
Mich Cav [illegible in original] Edgar Holmes
is in a hospital about [40?]
rods from here and comes over
here very often I have been
writing to Mr MCracken
also to Edwin Mother I
hope you will try every means
in your power to get me home
and I can help you a great deal
we have plenty to eat and 
more than we realy need and
it is good and wholesome food
a ration of Bread is a loaf 
which is more than any more
man can eat I cannot write

at present so goodbye from 
your affectionate son
	Augustus B Holmes
	Co. I 6th Mich
	Cav Washington DC
		H J Holmes
		       Fentonville
                                       Mich