Camp Elle Bishop, Feb. 18, the 63 Dear Father Mother & all Again I seat myself for the purpose of writing to you It rains Some to day it rained more all night. but Philip says if I will go & get some water he will make some Pudding. I went & got some water, & we have had Some Pudding & Milk for dinner. It was good I tell you. I don’t know what to write I will tell you how the Soldiers are James is quite well again A. Carver is about the same Philip is quite well. he is Boys Cook Jude & George are well Ira Briant, K[meard?], S. Mantina. [Stivek?] is well but perhaps you have heard that Ralph is Sick he is quite Sick. he has gone down town to the Hospital. I was very Sorry to see him go to the Hospital. but it is a better place for a Sick person there than it is here, & I hope he will be able to come back before long Michael, & Ralph, & N. Bailey, all went to the Hospital the other day I have got back from the City I was gone eleven days from the Company. Some of the Boys have gone to Danville with Some Horses If I thought I would wait until to day & see if I did would not get a letter to Answer but I did not get any from home. I got one from [Tryphena?], they are well at Medina, or was 2 or 3 days ago letters I have rec’d I have rec’d from [Pa?] eather 2 or 3 letters, since I have been in the Army & that is about 6 months I have looked for letters from you Pa, quite often & I don’t know why you don’t write. but perhaps you have enough else to do or you have forgoten me, forgoten that you once had an Albert to bother you. but I remember you all & ever shall. if I were to stay in the Army 10 years I could not forget home & friends, but I do not expect to stay in the Army as long as that. no only 2 ½ years more if I live so long we have got a new Captain. his name is Randal he was a first L’ient of Co G. he is as good a military man as their is in the Regiment. but he is very [?] he was out to Roll Call last night for the first time he talked first rate he said things must be fixed up he said he respected Co H as much as any co in the Regiment & he would Stick by us till the last but what more is that than Cap. Hill said, & he would but I said he would do all he could for us. I gues he he will he has been in the Service before the Colonel told Lieut Hill if he wanted to be captain he could have the Office. he would not except I would rather have him for a Capt. than any other man in the Regiment but perhaps Cap Randal will be as good I do not think he will Resign & leave us as Cap Hill did, but I am glad Cap Hill has gone home. the Company is better off without him we have been moving around some lately we have got only 4 tents so they divided one Squad up. I cannot think of anything to write Some way or other, it Seems as though I have wrote the Same thing over & over again. if one was Moveing I could write Some news but we are here doing nothing, but the Same thing right over & over I can hear the Cannon roar they are but a few rods off. I guess they are practiceng we hear so many Guns we do not think any thing Strange to hear a Volley of Muskets, or the roar of a dosen Canons I guess I will tell you about the People of Lexington as I lived there 4 days I seen Considerable of the both White & Black last Sunday I went up on main Street & stood there to watch the People as they were passing most all the time I noticed the Dress of Both Color & Sex I Most all the Negroes were dressed in the finest of Broad Cloth with a high toped hat, & a Wench by his Side dressed in the finest of Silks I saw one instance of a White girl, a good looking & well dressed girl, on one side was a black Boy the other a Black Girl. they were walking on the Side walk. & appeared to enjoy themselves, I should judge they were from 15 to 18 years old I think the Negroes I was agoing to day are better of than they would be if they would were free but I would rather they would be free the Boys have gone after Some more milk the Negro Wenches [hook?] it & Sell it for 5 cts a Canteen full we are again to draw [into?] to see which will go after water to make the Pudding I am Elected to go after the water. I have been to dinner now. it rains a little it is very muddy. it rains a great deal, weather warm I have not been to Meeting in 3 or 4 weeks it is to wet & muddy to have meeting out doors. perhaps we will have more next Summer I hope so, but I hope before a great while we can go to meeting to the old School House but I am afraid that time is far awa a head but I close write Soon all of you, Good Bye. it thunders Some now Albert W. Barber to Father Mother & all we have been out & had a Battalion Drill with our new Captain we like very well he is very Strict I looked for a letter to night but in vain So I will wait till the Morrow will I get any I hear they are continueing the meeting at the meeting House I am glad to hear that there is some good done. I would like to see the work of the Lord revered in the Army there is much need of it Albert [Written sideways at the bottom left corner of the page:] please send me a few postage stamps A.W.B.