May 17th 
Bridge Port Alabama   1864
Dear Wife and Children your kind
letter of the 6th inst Come to hand yester
Day it found me an Lewis boath well
and Doing well and i hope Sinsearly
that this will find you all Enjoying
the Same Blessing and to Stevensons
makeing Shingles that is all Wright i want
you to have a good house to Live in while
i am gon i told unckel George about it
before i Left and he Said he would See
that you get a Good Roof and i Got a
letter from him the same time i Got yours
and i have Written him to Day and told him
to see to it and if you have got aney left
you will have to Pay Stevenson for what
he does and if you fall Short you will
have to go to George and he will See to
it i have not Drawn aney Pay yet but
i think we Shall Draw soon and then
you shall have Plenty you wrote about

Docter Gates being mad about his cow
i cant help it but if i Live to Come
back i Shall Do what is Write about
it but i Dont think i Shall Write him
as i Dont no as i want to hear from
him very bad Give my love to mrs
Paddy and famiy tell her that i will
write her in a Short time and i would
like to hear from her Give my love to all
of the neighbors their and Write me all 
of the news and  Write Evrry Week we Get
towoo letters from home yesterday one was
dated in april and the other the 6th of may
that is all we have got since we have been
hier Harriet your ride with Vander
-sen to Johnsons was hear before your
letter came but Jame Did not send 
it it come from Old mother Nicholas
but dont say aney thing to Lute or
aney one out their or i may not get
a chance to find out aney more i belive
that Nicholas folks and Tuttles folks
are trying to Get up a muss between


you and Lewis but keep Cool and
Still and Look out that you Dont
Go around to mutch with others and
you will be all write i want you to
stay with your mother this sumer
Hat and you will Oblige me [illegible in original]
But Dont Write to Lute what i sed
about the Ride and now Dear
Elizabeth chear up Dont you see
that the union troops are whipping
the Rebs every whare and we shall
be home in the fall i think if not before
i wrote you a Letter 3 Days ago
So i hant mutch nues onely ower
men are whipping the Rebs like
saeks and i am as tough as a
Knott and so is Lute he will write
in 2 or 3 days when you Write again
tell me how George is getting along 
working out and how Frank is
getting along with the work has
he Drawed out aney manure
around the trees and in the

Garden i want the trees all
Washed this Spring and trimed
get unckel George or James
Price to trim them and keep
Everry thing Slik Round and
Dear Wife kiss little Maty for 
me first and then all the Rest
Etty Harry Charly and David
and Remember mee i send
you Dear Wife a kiss in this 
letter as well as i can i wish
i could see you all a short
time but i must close now
Write often and Remember
this from your loving
Husband until Death
   OG Dunckel
Elizabeth Dunckel
and Harriet L Price