Saturday Nov 21st 1862

	Dear Mother
I take my pen to inform you
of my health it is first rate
I received a letter from you to
day when I came off Pickitte
and was very happy to hear from
you at home once more but was
sorry to hear that were
not well if I could get my
pay I would send you some
money to hire some of your
work done but I don’t see
as government mean to pay us
off again this fall if they do it
will come good to some of us
for many of us have not got any
tobacco to use so it makes
us rather cross some of the
time To day is [rainy?] yet I am

Contented to stay the rest of my
time it is nine months from
to day so you can look for
me if I do then I shall stay
at home and take care of you
in your old age I do not know
but I did wrong in enlisting
when I did but I only done
what many others did in the
first call for Volinteers in the
caus of my country if I did do
rong forgive your erring son

	Mother you
asked me about my
enlisting again let me tell you that
you need not be afraid of my
enlisting again to save the
whole of the country from being
[illegible] I have been pack mule
for the Government long
enough to [suit?] me for 
the rest of my life so

you can make up your mind
that as soon as I can I shall
get out of the service so as
to take care of you some
times I get to thinking of you
and it seems as if I could
not stay the rest of my time
I am [illegible] old niger Sam
if I get out of dis trap you
don’t catch dis chile again
no sir ee dear mother
be contented withe regard to
my enlisting again for they
don’t catch me again
	as for my shirts
I did not send for them to
make you more work if
you don’t get them so as
to send them all right and
if you do all right I sent
for them becaus I thought
they would be better than the
ones I get in the army if

you ever write to me again
don’t say in your letter
as you did in this don’t feel
hard toward your mother for I cant
feel hard towards my mother
I heard from Frank the
other day by a letter  from him
he is well and (?)
for him (?)
I have not heard from
the other boys  for some time
Now as far the shirts if you
can get them done send them
do not work to hard to 
get them done (?)
but I am getting hungry
so I must close to cook
for it has stopped raining
for a few minutes pleas
write soon and let 
me know how you
feel about my enlisting
do not be afraid of it 
so good bye
I remain your son 
Alvah H