Mrs. H.J. Holmes Fentonville Genesee Co Mich [Written upside down on top of Scan 2 and Scan 5] Mother you will Please send these lines to Mr Turner then have Freddy keep a good watch and when they are done he will mark a box for you to send them in get a Box that will hold a few things besides the Boots and send a few cakes and something [End] Columbia K.Y. June 2nd 1863 Dear Mother the present finds me well and I hope you are we have ben traveling some since I wrote to you before but I suppose they will keep us on the move as long as the war lasts. but I wish they would let us stay here. we are in Columbia now on Provost guard. this is a very nice little town for this part of the country and thare are some nice folks here. well Mother I did not get time to [Written upside down on top of Scan 3 and Scan 4] of that kind just for a token from Home but dont send but a very few things besides the Boots as I expect we shall be on [a?] move [End] [Written on the side of Scan 3] most of the time this summer [End] finish this yesterday as I was on guard and we got our pay in the afternoon. so I will write you a good letter today for I have just recd a long letter from you mailed May 27th I am glad to get one from you again it seems so good to have you write. but Oh I am so sorry to hear of your bad luck with the Cow it is to bad but it was very kind in the friends to get another I am happy to hear you have got such kind friends and hope I shall live to come Home and repay them for their kindness Please give them my thanks I am glad to hear that Ed has sent you some money I think Augustus has done very well since he enlisted and I am glad to hear it to. he writes to me ver often I recd aletter from him a few days ago and have not answered it yet I also got one from Alvah last week and have written to him he was well he told me he had lost twenty Dollars by sending Home and he thought he should not send his next pay. I hope he will not spend it foolish- ly for he will need it if he lives to get out of the Army now as for my Pay I got twenty six Dollars this Pay day and I want to get me a pair of boots with part of it I have thought some of sending Home and having Charley Burnes make me a pair but I am going to look around and see if I cant get a good pair here if not I shall send Home. for I cant wear their Army shoes they make my feet so sore. they are so coarse and heavy I guess I will go down now and see what I can do. I say go down for I am upstairs in the Court House we have a good room to sleepin well I have ben all around this town and cant find any Boots so I will write a few lines to Burnes and [Written upside down on top of Scan 6] Well I see I must close as this is full Please write often from Your Loving Son B.F. Marsh [End] [Written on side of Scan 6] Mrs. H. J Holmes [End] have him make me a pair and I will send ($10.00) ten dollars in this and when he gets them done you may pay him and then use the rest of it for yourself. and I think I will wait until I write again before I send any more for fear it is lost you may think it strange that I keep so much with me but I shall not spend it foolishly I asure you I will not but I want some so if we go off on a three days march as we did last week and get out of rations I can buy a little but I entend to send more the next time [Written on side and upside down on top of Scan 7] comfortable whether I have any left or not for I can work and get my living after the War is over if I live [End] I write. you asked me if I payed the charges on it I dont know whether Capt paid it or not but I think he did but I will ask him. no he did not so it will be paid by the boys that sent with me you will only have to pay .45cts forty-five cts. You spoke about spending so much now you need not fear, Mother use all you want if it takes all I have sent I want you to live comfortable and have a plenty if it takes every cent I send you know whare to go if you want money. go to Mr Spauldings and get it for I want you to use enough to make yourself