Camp in the woods on a hill mountain near
near Pulaskey January the 27th, 1865	
			Dear Wife it is with
that I S am Seted in my little dog
tent to right a phew lines. to you
to let you know that I am well
at present and hope thease phew lines
may find you and the Dear Cildren
and ellen all well I am enJoying
my Self very well for one in the
armey I would rather be in Binks
Corners with you but I hope the time
is not fare distant when this Bloday
             war
Blooddy ^ will be don with and we Can
retorn home to our famleys but we
do not know how long it will be it
will be in gods one time we most put
our trust in him and leave it all
with him and it will all be rite we
       not       moch
most ^ put tr ^ trust in the [peas?] men
[peas?] Commiseners for they may form
freely and they may not but I

[Written sideways on left-hand side of Scan 1]

I Start day after to morrow and I may I get back be fore you get this

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do not worry about me for I have a good place I do not have any gard
						             duty to do

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				not
if I could know that you would ^ worrey
about me god is Just as able to take of me
hear Just the Same as he Could if I was to home
        stop
I most ^ good by Dear wife for this time this
from your affectnate husband J.B. Smith
			                    to Mary Smith

hope they will it would be a good thing 
for us but god knows best and we most
wait hise time I have had at 2 letters
from you sine I came hear I got hear
on the 18th of this month and yesterday
I got A letter from you that you
rote on Chrismos day I wish I Could
have ben thare to spend it with you
and New years. I. Should have liked to
have ben thare it would have ben
far diferent then being hear in the
armey but I had a good time as
Could be expected I rote to you about
both days I have not got my pay yet
and I do not know when I will [illegible mark in original] our
Cornal. Cornal. Micks. Says that we
will not get our pay untill we
are mosterded out of the united
States Serves and he thinks that will
be in April or may but we he dose
not know I hope it will be So but
it will not do to make any Calculations
on it but it may be So. if it isso
I Shall be glad to have Come home
and letting fighting be for Som boddy

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give my love to Hellen and kiss the Cildren for me we aways have good

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times when we are on At a raid for we live

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swell    I Put my trust in god I think he will take cair of me
						            and you


else do the fighting if they want to
fight for I do not want to do any more
I do not think that we will have any
more fighting to do fore the rebs are
a good ways from us old [whood?] is all
a used up and he lost 29 thousand and. 84.
men in his Campain with us I think he
			         are
will not try us on again we a ^ in general
Johnson Division and his Destrick runs
from the tenn. river to Duck river in
tenn. we Shall have to gard the [illegible in original]
betwen the 2 rivers I do not expect we
will have to leave this place in good
while I rote to you about Aaron about
Seeing his rigament and Company and. bunk
mates but did not see him I should like
to have seen him he was out on picket and
I Could not find him I rote in my last
letter about him you have proble got
my letter be fore this time I have
	       socks
not got them ^ yet and I told you
in my last letter to Send me a nother
pair and how to Direct them Direct them
the Same as you do a letter put a pease
of paper around them so it will not

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let us put our trust in god and pray for [eather?] other and it will be all right

[Written across top of Scan 3]

with us

get loose I and put Stamps on it the
Postmaster will tell you how many to put
on. and try an other pair I would like
to have a pair of your make for I do
not like thease armey Socks they Strech
So I can put them on to my head and
you know that I do not like Such Socks
and if [illegible in original] maning has that money in a
Shape that you can get  Some of it I would
like to have you Send me Some of it every
time that you right put one or 2 dollars
in to your letters when you right to me
in that way the post master will not
know any thing about it and then they will
not Steal it and send me 2 or 3 postage
Stamps to when you right fore it a hard
thing to get them hear fore thare is none
to Sell. onley [illegible in original] and a good while and
then i did not have any money untill you
Sent that money I tell you it looked good
to me. now Dear wife I have got somthing to
I tell you Somthing that you will not like
we have Just got orders to go on a raid way
down in to Alabamma and I do not know how
long we will be gon we may be gone one month
and we may be gone 2 months and I may not
have any chance to Send a lettr to you but
if i do I will right every chance that I
can we may not be gone over 2 weeks but you
most not worry About me fore god will take
care of me it is better us to be on the march
we are helthyes when we are on the march the
oficers think that we will not be gone over 2
weeks our head quarters will be hear and
you most right and they may come to me
I Shall right and I may get a chance to Send to
you now Dear wif you most not worry about
me we do not expect to have any fighting to do
I [illegible in original] for I am taking cair of the captian horses