Benton Barricks
	December 15th 1861
	Dear Parents
		I received
	yours of the 10th yes
terday and was happy to hear
from you . I am well and harty
with the [exception?] of a bad cough
which hangs on like a [illegible]
to a roof. We are having the
most butifull weather that
I ever saw at this part of the
year it appears all most like
spring but how long it will
last I do not know . We have
a butifull [parade?] ground on
the primices of the late Thomas
H. Benton and the boys are
improveing very fast in their 
drill seince we have got whar

they have got to tend to 
their business. it is a hard
matter to get out, thare is
part of our drill ground
is out side of the guard and
I got a squad of eight ((thare
being no one aloud to pass
unless with a squad of six men)
and went out pretending to
drill and after a little we [illegible]
out into the country and got
some hickory nuts of which
thare is ___ quantity that
little timber thare is is mostly
hickory, butternut, walnut-and
cottonwood and [illegible] and
that only a long the ravines
We have been on short ration
				s
for the last few days and [illegible letter]
faired rather hard but the 
only thing that I miss is buter
and our water is hard to
that are not [crossed out word] used
to it, it is river water
and is carried over the 
camp in pipes and is very
muddy. Some of the boys 
had a letter last night sta
ting that Jonathon [Willover?]
was dead poor Edwin feals
bad he was coaxed in to it 
and now to think that he
is a lone he feals awfull
I wish that thare was 
some way to get his discharge
You cannot imagen my
surprise when I heard that
Abe Greens wife had come 
back. I declair they had
aught to horse whip 
them bouth I hope that 
the next letter you will tell
me all about it. I had a
chance to see [illegible] the other
day as thare was [crossed out] [was]
some prisoners feched in
to camp the othere day
Please write as soon [crossed out] [sa]
[crossed out] [soon as] as you get this
and tell me all the news
No more at present
	Give my love to all
	Yours as [ever?]
Harrison Traphagen