Hd Qrs 18th Wis Vols Inf 
    May	 
Petersburg Va: Monday [crossed out] [April] 8th 1865 
       Dear Wife 
I Sit down this afternoon to write you a few lines 
to inform you how and where I am: 
Well I am as well as usual and I think a little 
better than usual for I have Just came through a 
march of about 175 miles: We left Raleigh N.C. 
on the morning of the 29th of April and arrived 
here at Petersburg Yesterday evening  : it has been two 
weeks ago yesterday since I wrote to you So I Supose 
you will think I have been verry negligent in 
writing.  The last letter I rec'd from you was written 
on the 10th of last month: you will now get letters 
Several days quicker from me now than you did 
when I was at Raleigh  : I meant to have written [illegible] 
about the time we left Raleigh but I could not find out the 
the time we were going to start until we had orders to 
fall in . We will probably leave here in the morning 
for Washington: so we still have another march of over  
a hundred miles ahead of us: We will go by way of 
Richmond which is 22 miles from here 
Our army (Shermans) will go into camp at Alexandria 
Va: four miles Washington and there be reviewed and 
          m 
and mustered out of the Service Sometime this sum^er 
You must not [crossed out] [look] be in too mutch of a hurry in 
looking for me home for it may be two or three months 
before we can all be mustered out and paid: in the 
mien time though: you and I can both afford to be patient 
for a while, as the war is now over 
Well Lucinda you must be content with a short letter 
this time and I will try and write more next time 
I have matter [illegible] enough to write a long letter 
but this ink is about as thick as gruel so I can 
hardly do any thing with it: We have had verry 
pleasent weather for marching we had two or three 
Showers while on the road: Just enough to keep 
down the dust and it is thundering this 
evening and I think we will have rain again to 
night: When you write again Direct to the 
Regt: to Washington D.C. 
     Well Lucinda I will close for this time 
     hoping that ere long we will be permitted to 
     meet again      I Remain ever Yours 
   Thos.J.Davis 
      To L.M. Davis