1862-02-18 Unknown recipient (brother) from William Robert Webb

Yorktown Va. Feb. 18th /62

My dear bro I would ____ ______ long ago to you ___ little has for

nearly every man in our regiment would have gone if this hadn't been the case. Now they will be afraid to trust to going home at all unless they reenlist after our time is out. I tell you we would suspend our pay for twelve months rather than be cheated out of going home. We have learned to appreciate home and [---?] visiting home at all [happily?]. Our love of home was the cause of our [coming?] here, and surely after being about for twelve months we of course wish to visit our friends again. We have just heard of our success at Fort Donelson which will compensate in a degree for the roanoke disaster. Everything is quiet here except our pulse. We are blockaded by rain , snow & mud. we are still in our tents, though we hope to be out of them by the middle of May, to go with [---?] I hope you will pray for me frequently I need the prayers of my friends. I have been blessed with health. A good many around a shaking with chills or has chills with fever, or prostrated by pneumonia, while I am stouter & stronger than I ever was. I weigh over a hundred and forty pounds now and am still growing . Our simplified [---?] diet is no doubt the cause of it. You speak of the distilleries. I tell you they are giving a good deal of [—?] to the soldiers. If we have a [d--?] next year where will get corn, The [convention?] should put a stop to it immediately. They should be held responsible Give my love to all our friends & wish [---?] to your off. Brother W--