I will write a few
lines to you & Mother again today
hoping thus in time that I may
be rewarded by lots of letters
from home. The mail comes in
regularly now every morning &
day after day I rec. this answer
to my enquierie "No, no letter for you."
Now I have written 2 or 3 times a week
to someone at home & think I ought
to be rewarded by at least one in two
weeks.

We are in our old camp yet, & are having
a very dull time of it; nothing to re-
lieve the monotony except pickets
once a week & that if possible is
duller than in camp. We have no

My health continues
excellent. I will
write again as soon
as I get through
my business matters.
Johnson is well
& [---?] is well.
What do you
call his little girl
have a pretty
name for it.
Tell me all
about her. Tell Mother
to write me.
If you are not
able to than Dr.
must

picket firing along our front at
all although in front of the 5^th Corps
just on our right they are in plain
sight & within speaking distances
of each other. In the 9^th Corps further
on our right they are firing all the
time & shelling. A new battery has
opened but a third distance on
our right has kept up a slow but
regular fire. I expect they will be
dropping some shells about us before
long but they could see us & will not
be likely to do much damage if they
do.

Yesterday I went with a detail
from our Division to work on a
fort just in view of the 5^th Corp. Went
out before light, worked on the
fort till dark, then carried tim-
ber from the woods into the
fort till 10 o'clock. This could not
be done in the day time as we had
to pass quite a distance in full view

& range of the rebel batteries.
They had a fort just in front
of us & could have easily pre-
vented us from working if
they had known where we were.
We have brakes placed along
in front to screen us from their
view. I think they suspected us
however for they opened in the P.M.
& fired about 20 shells. A few of them
bursting inside our fort, the rest
going over & on our side. 2 officers
were wounded & 1 horse killed.
The fort will be finished by tomorrow
& our heavy guns mounted in it. It is
a large square work & will be quite
formidable. I think several of
these forts are being built along
the line. Our C. Books came today
& [----?] we go to work on our mus-
ket rolls. This will keep me very busy
for two days. Besides I have
Description Lists of all our sick & wounded

dead & final statements of all our killed
to make. Also this monthly & quarter-
ly returns of Camp & garrison equipage
& ordnance, plenty of work for at
least a week.

We have not been paid yet and shall
not be at present although we have been [----?]
due. I dont doubt but it is a good [----?]
measure but the men feel distates-
full to go so long without pay. The
more so as all the Generals with
their staff officers have lately been
paid.

The Army never was so well fed
before. They get vegetables often.
There has been no rain yet the roads are
fearfully dusty. I hope you won’t think by
what I write in my last that I am discouraged
not a hint of it. I mean that you must not
expect us to Captain Richmond and the
rebel army by fighting. I don’t think
that Richmond can be taken by fighting
alone. We have them more where we can
offer to wait a while. I don’t believe
Lee can [----?] himself long when he
is & as he cannot drive us away or
frighten us away by raids into [-----?]
he will retreat.into N.C & finally
fine the last ditch with the remnants
of Johnson’s Army somewhere in the
South. It seems that the Alabama has
gone down at last what a pity that Semmes[?]
escaped[?].