Dear & ever remembered friendly [illegible in original]
[illegible in original] Denio & May July-  April 8th
I received your friendly x to me welcome         1865
letters last night-  hasten to answer you
the reason I have to write to you all in one letter is because
we have to much duty to perform now that
I do not got but little time to write
we have a cavalry brigade here at [T.T.C.?] hours
in which 5th 6th 7th & [9?] before the put us in it
our co has been out on [illegible in original]  help[er?]
capture quite a number of prisoners & horses
                                had
one the last one we^ one man killed by the
rebels & another wounded 9 times both belonged
to co C last week we went about [90?]
miles beyond our lines with the rebel [illegible in original]
were gone 3 days took 50 prisoners to [illegible in original]
4 miles we [ate?] all the food for
man & beast that we wanted & many
a man might me see when we return
with a chicken turkey duck pig as
ham attached to his saddle
we went up a rich country   where they
had plenty of hay & grain meat [over?] 
wheat in the stack & wheat in the granary
& wheat in the ground   I counted 5
large stacks of wheat in onw large field
& the field was sowr to wheat &
that looked well    the farm where
we fed our horses the second day
at noon had about a 100000
bushels of wheat in the granary 
I have not much faith in starving out the
rebels if that is the way they have pervisions
ahead   but they do not depend
much
^upon the sympathy of northern
people- the hope that the western states
will secede from the eastern & join the
confederate states- that the north will
not submit to a draft & that by the
last of may our army will be so
reduced by the falling off thare
                                                         that
whore term of enlistment expires^ they

will be easily over come by the superior force
of the southern army
  There facts I learned from
a rabin rebel- you woulda think to hear
them talk that they hav but little to fear
from the north only from the armed
force now along the lines & that our
army would soon be shown of its strength
I trust that our leaders have looked out
for this- I have no sympathy at 
all for rebelians now since I have got
here where I can see them the rebels & here them
talk I once had a little about it
departen the other day when we went
marching along & crime to where one of
our men had been murdered & robbed
by them & another wounded & robbed
the women are as bad as the men if
not worse  they insulten & [canter?] the
man that was wounded with 3 balls and in
each [illegible in original] one is [illegible in original] left [illegible in original]
they told him it was good enough for
him he no need to be us is in the union
army but this made our Regt
swear vengance on the Rebels & if
we ever meet them I pity the
poor  [fellay?] we are determined to
strike for son & humanity and
country our own home & loved ones
& for eternal freedom for all
for these we are willing to suffer fight
[illegible in original] & die- I would rejoin to
see the day of peace come but I wish to
never see it [illegible in original] it dawns upon us a
free people I had rather die a 1000
deaths if I could than to [illegible in original] one free
government- to barbarianism & tyranny
I may a foolish child when I way with
you in nathanial & [illegible in original]
I see more Charly now [illegible in original]
home I would take up aney for our
country more readily than I did but I should
try to get a part of a whole co so that I could
do more good than I can as a [illegible in original]
[illegible in original] but that is a
[illegible in original]
for the best yet I can write a good deal
now more than I could if I was not [illegible in original]