Cairo. Saturday. Mar 3 /65
	Dear folks at home. We are in
Government Barracks. waiting to
take the boat, We got along very well
on the trip, To men got away by jumping
out of the car window; which made
them more strict with us. two more
men deserted this morning. (they just
brought report that the two that jumped
out of the cars are caught) the men with 
the exception of a dozen or so are
a very civil set, I like the looks
of Mich better than Ill. The priaries [illegible in original]
look mudy and dirty, thare is more
timber in southern Ill, it looks
more attractive, About 40 miles from
here it is quite rough and rocky.
the towns have an inferior look
compared with Mich, Cairo look like
a big pig pen mud knee deep
I feel pretty well except the remnant of
my cold, but throat and lungs are 
				[illegible in original]

I am writing on a Harpers Monthly
March '65. which the Christian [illegible in original]
sells for 20 cts,
Sanders sends word that he is well
and will write as soon as he gets to 
his regiment, the boys are all
we;l. One or two men were sick were
sick coming down and went to the hospital here.
My sickness at Jackson was not
a diarea (though I had one
which lasted a few houres, 
caused by something that we ate)
but simply breating impure air
caused me to faint. my bunk
was one of the highest. and standing
brought my head in the highest
point of a room in which over
one hundred men were breathing, in
dressing myself to go out in the [night?]
I stood up, and being only half awake
I was sometime about it, I felt strange
a little faint and that was all I

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knew for awhile. I fell in the bunk and my [hard?]

[Written on the top of Scan 2]

breathing waked 
    Mr Perry

[Written on left side of Scan 2]

Please buy me an ivory tooth pick and send by mail

[Written upside down on top of Scan 3]

One Oclock and not started yet

little sore. I have to cough some, but
that is common here, last night was
quite cool we all slept cold. it will
be warmer south, the christian [illegible in original]
Agent was in this morning distributing
testaments and [illegible in original] tract he made
a few remark which the men
listened to very attentively, much
more so than anticipated as we have
a disagreabe Methodist minister among
		       if they are pearls
us, who casts his pearls ^ before
Service, in the shape of long prayers, and
[illegible in original] [illegible in original]. They were well received
at first but the men begun to think he
was taking to much time. and he is not
listened to at all now. such men do
the cause more harm than good.
but the papers and book contributed
by some Sunday school were well
received.

The food you gave was very 
timely. the honey I have not
opened yet.
The women and children are in
Selling pies. but they are so poor I
cannot eat them.
I hope they will take down the
rebs soon. I do not like to be
kept under guard.
I have not seen the Missippi yet
the decks hide the view - the Ohio
looks mudy enough,
All I can see from the window
is a few whitewashed houses & [stables?]
some broken ambulances and
waggons. a few trees on the other
side of the river. and once in a
while the smoke stacks of a
steamboat.
		From Fred P Warren