To Misses & Mrs Barber

Sunday.  Kentucky   Oct    5th 1862[?] ad
	Dear friend  Homan Barber Esq.
as I find my Self Well and hearty I 
take My pen in hand to inform you how
times appear to my Nation.  the Boys are Well
With the Exceptions of a few M Howland is Sick
Philip is a [grunting?] [Mr?] [Thorn?] is Repenting of
his Voige to the South  But allow me to tell the 
Story  I feel all Safe & Sound  We are in a delightful
Country.  I think the people must of taken Comfort 
Before the War Was.  they have Large Houses Large [illegible in original]
			     of
farms large orcherds plenty ^ Negroes  Dogs etc. etc. etc. etc.
Corn grows 16 feet high.  Sweet potatoes plenty
those large farms are a going to Distruction as
fast as possable   you Wanted I Should let
you know whither you Could get a farm or not
I think you will Wait until the war is over and then
Come down and pick out your farm Buy Some Darkys
and farm on the Big Seale tell [Adin?] that I Have
Seen lots of Black Girls they looked as tho they 
ought to Be Whitewashed and [ley?] [illegible] now forever.


They Called us out and We had preaching 
it Sounds like Home to hear a Sermon
We have prayer meetings Every Chance
there are Several professors in our Band and
it Makes it pleasant here I think that
I enjoy my Self Very Well I think a person
Can Serve God as well in the army as at 
home  Religion is just what a Soldier Wants
for we hear Swearing and all kinds of Sin
afloat here we do not alow Swearing in
our tent.  therefore they are Careful what they
think Say. W have not had any Battles and 
I do not know as we Ever Shall I have thought
Sometimes when We were Called out in line of           
Battle how many there were that were unprepard
					           ^e 
to [illegible crossing out] Live or dy and I often have seen them 
tremble So they Could hardly load there Guns  I 
have often thought of that passage of Scripture which
Says fear not them that kill the Body etc.
It is supposed that the war will Close in a Short
time But I do not flatter my Self in that way But
it will Close sometime the South Will never Give up
and the North Cannot Shoot them in 40 yrs

	they are Smarter than the North thinks pos
	or those that Stay at home and Bark
          and growl let them come and see for them 
      Selves and if they Can do the job up I Should
      like it Very much.  I have just been Carrying
Some ham & Crackers to the tent and I must 
go   on   dress parade Shortly   I suppose you have
your Corn & potatoes all harvested and those Colts
fatter than they Were when Albert & I were there to 
Ride in Uncle [Huss?] Wagon or Horses Buggy  Kentucky
has the largest Horses that I ever Saw and the 
Best of Cattle  you Send down after the war 
and get Some horses and I’l see them Safe home
When I come tell Misses Barber that I have 
Not Greased my Shoes Since I was there and 
Albert & I Should Like Some of Bread and Butter
				^your
But I hope we Will be there within 1 year  We
think when we come home we Shall Surprise the 
folks wel come in the Night  I Should like to have 
drink out of your well or dads or some one Elses well
We use Watter out of a pond Where they found a man
Dead in it they Said his flesh had fallen off his
Bones  I do not Believe the Story perhaps it is So

I have not Eat off a table Since I left 
your house that morning I started home not Slept
in a Bed Since I sleep [first at?] have plenty to
Wear  Albert & I Bought Some Knobby Blankets Which
Shed Rain like a  Roof on Elder [Stouts?] house
[written sideways across page]:
I Cannot think of any thing Interesting to Write there
are many things that you do not See in Wright  you must 
Enquire about things that you Wish to know about
the Army and we Will try and inform you about
them  We have prayer meeting in the next tent
Albert and I are Writeing and must hurry and
go to meeting  I Close for to Night
[illegible] We had a good meeting last Night and to day we
Started on a march  Marched South 7 or 8 ms [miles] and halted
in a field Where there is good Watter to Drink and
Lots of apples  I do not know how long we will Stay here
Excuse this ill Composed Epistle I have Been so long a 
Writing that I have forgotten What I have Wrote  I must Close
Soon.  As I am in the army and deprived of the priviledeg
that you Enjoy I wish to have you Remember me in
							  ^ant
the prayer meeting and in all Divine Worship as it is pleas
to think that we have Christain friends at home that have
a hope in heaven and iff Death Should Call us away we
May meet in heaven where Sins & Sorow & parting is 
no more Seen or felt  Let us all live faithful to our
God and this will be our [lat?]  May God Bless us all -- 
I must Close.  Write Soon.  Mr. H & Misses B & Miss J. B
& Miss O.B. & Mr A.B & P.B & Misses M.L.W.L  I wish
to have them all Write & Soon from a Soldier
Direct your letters the Same as you have Before   R.E. Stant
Give my love to all Inquiring friends  Williams malven Try [wiews?]  Olive etc.