Benjamin explains his health problems to his sister, Sarah, then goes into detail about his friend George Carnes, who was recently killed in battle. Benjamin says George owed a lot of money to other soldiers in the company and his wife "almost made [George] crazy" because of her "conduct," though he does not explain what he means by either of these disclosures. Later in the letter, Benjamin jokingly offers to trade a "Nigger" for some of Sarah's strawberries but quickly retracts his offer so as not to "disgrace Fentonville" with the presence of an African American. The remainder of the letter is addressed to his mother, and repeats most of what he said to Sarah about his illness.
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