Camp Mc Kim
		Mich 6th Regt Mich Inft
		Baltimore M. D. Sept 29th 1861

Dear Brother & Sister

	I just received 
your letter mailed the 26th
very glad to hear from you
                                       h
I just returned from churc^
we went down in the city
to the Lutheran church
I would like very much to
be with you twice as much
like to be with my Wife
I ll left her in Detroit
she is at Grass Lake I have 
had three letters from her
since I came here she was
having the Ague last time
she wrote my health is very
good it is A beautiful day

cooll & sunny we have had
no frost yet the nights are
getting very cool everything
looks about as green as summer
I am sitting on some gun
boxes in the sun quite A
large number of the boys are
in the same fix the boys
are running to and fro some are
taking some singing doing
almost everything to pass the
Sunday we have preaching
in camp every Sunday
how long we stay here I 
do not know the people
of Baltimore want we sho
uld stay here all Winter
if Uncle Sam wants us
to stay he will not ask
the City of Baltimore to
keep us they are very well
pleased with us want we
should stay I hope we
                                          

wont stay I like Baltimore
tip top but I want to
get A look at the rebels
I would not be surprised
if we were ordered away from
here soon we received our
guns yesterday they were 
were the Harpers Fery &
Springfield musket we
have had A lot of old gun
to drill with ever since
we came here I don’t know
which way we will go
when we leave. [Carry?]
life of all other lifes
		              g
is the most demoralizing^
of all other lifes it is 
filled us with everything
there is no news but
hard time here soldiers
have good times great many 
out of work nothing to live
on nothing to do no

 money to by anything this
war if not ended soon will
			    try
ruin thousands in this coun^
it will not hurt the north
half as bad as the south
you cant imagine how the 
troops pour in to Washington
not by thousands but by
tens of thousands there has
been 50,000 pased through this
place since we came here
they come from all parts east
west north guess not many from
south we have from 500 to 5,000
visitors everyday here in Camp
I am geting tired of sitting in
the sun so I will close give
my respects to all direct the 
your letters the same until
further orders 

	By order of 
[at bottom upside down] had 3 letters from my wife
Sergeant Surdam 

[at bottom upside down] I have not heard from Cal yet