franklin	Newport News, Va
      Marsh			Feb 28th 1863
	    Dearest Mother  I received a welcome letter
from you to day dated Feb 22nd and was very glad
to hear that you are well and getting along as well
as you are. as for myself I am in good health and
getting along finely we are camped in a beautifull
place on the bank of the James River our camp ground
is about three miles long it is a level, cleared field
about half a mile long we have a beautifull drill
ground and I think we are improving it pretty
well. for me drill every other hour during the 
day this morning I was detailed to go down to the
Dock to unload two Boat loads of [illegible] it seemed
dreadfull [add?] to work at any thing with my
Knapsac on Gun. I got back to camp about noon
just in time to get ready for muster we mustered
for Pay today so I expect we shall get some Pay about
the tenth of next month and then I will try
and send you some  I shall have to keep some
for I want to get me a pair of Boots as my
Old Fentonville Boots are getting rather poor I have
thought some of sending Home to get them but
I think it is about as cheap to get them here

for we can get a good Boot for $6.00 or $6.50cts
and it would cost nearly that to get them
made Home. so I think if I get any I shall
get them here. now as for your letters I guess
I get them all but if you will keep the dates
of all you write, I will, tell you the date of all I
get and then you will know if I get them all
I have recd a good many from Sarah Since I have
ben in this Camp I am very thankfull to
you all for writing as often as you do I dont
know what I should do if I could not hear
from Home and as for my Papers I have found
out the chap that took them it was a
Sargent of ours but he will not get any 
more so he is welcome to all the news he gets
of mine. the letter I recd today had a little 
[illegible] also one peppermint drop in it the
    letter was marked Due 3cts but it about
make any difference you can send as large
letters as you please for we soldiers dont
have to pay any extra Postage as for 
stamps I have two or three yet as I
get one in ever letter I get from you
so I keep in stamps very well
					              ago
I received a letter from Will Shaw a few days ^ 

he  was well then he said he was having
   a good time in Fredrick City and I told him
to stay thare as long as he could, but I should 
like to see him to the Regt very well..
     as for our fair we have very good now we
get a loaf of soft bread every day which is more
than we can eat and it is very good Bread too
but not like Mothers Bread.
   I am glad to hear the hay [two words illegible] as
well as it does and the cow is doing so well
I think Freddy is a real good boy to work if
he [cuts?] the shovel he is a better boy to work
than the [most?] of boys at his age.
                          I recd the measure of your fingures
   and shall gladly make the rings as soon as I get
time and stuff to make them of I have a heavy
ring that I have worn sometime the first one I
made, which I shall send home for you to keep
for me if I ever get home and I think I shall
then I shall want it to remember Old Virginia
By. you said you sent me a Fentonville Paper in
an envelope I did get it and I recd some
Rurals about the same time I think I get all the
letters you send me now the little [illegible] you
sent I have read through I think it very good

    Well now Mother I must stop for a little time
and get ready to go to Meeting it is almost time
half past and well Dear Mother I have just bin listening
to a surmon from our Chaplin Mr. Taylor,
				the hymn                    to sing
he read the 23rd Psalm and sang   Oh for a thousand tongues 
and his text was in Romans 1chap 16verse he gave us a 
very good surmon  Oh how I wish I was back to Old
Fentonville whare I could go to meeting every Sunday
		Well now Mother I cant think of any
more to write of any account so I guess I will close
now. I had a good visit with you all last night
in a dream I very often visit you at Home in
that way and I wish you would make me a visit
come and see whare we live what a nice little tent
we have got. with nice shade trees in front our tents
stand in line and we have a street and a side walk
on each side then a row of ever green trees along the
walk we are on one side of the street and co B on the
other.       tell Freddy he must come over and see me
some saturday when thare is no school I should like a
visit from him very well tell Sarah I will
write to her again soon but I want her to keep 
writing as often as she has I think she has done very
well by me lately and she improves in letter
writing very fast if she will only take pains
she will make a very good writer. I have not
heard from Alvah since we left Fredricksburgh I
get for Dewitt recd a letter from Ed Bradley yesterday
and getting as fat as Pigs But I see I must Bring this to
a close as my paper is full this is some of the paper
you sent me I use a sheet of it when I want to write a
good  long letter now Mother write soon from your son B.F. Marsh

[Written around the sides of Scan 4]
Write often one and all
Write often Mother
Write often Sarah
well the drums are beating for [illegible] Perade so Good Bye
I have had a very sore throat now for a few days but it is about well now

[End]