p.

[inverted writing at the top]

dont do as Mrs Parker does, and tell every one that I am
going to be promoted until you are sure - Parker is not capt
yet and farther than that I dont believe he ever will be - he
does not make the offices that I thought he would

[beginning of letter]

Camp in the field two miles South of
Murfreesboro Tennessee Jan 13^th 1863

Well, my little girl, how does the world use
you, and how do you enjoy yourself. I hope well
for I feel more contented when you write as though
you were not in a fit of the blues, I know to
one of your disposition, it is a very severe task to be
in the least dependant upon others, but you must
bear in mind the necessities of the case, and charge
it all to the union, or rather to an excess of
patriotism in your devoted husband, although
I think the stock of his patriotism, at the present
writing is whittled down to a pretty fine thing
and leaving me to judge of the rest, I should say
that theirs was whittled down too, but here let
me say it is not because our love of country has
grown cold, or that our institutions and forms of
Government are less sacred to us, neither have we
lost our reverance and love, for that emblem of
our freedom, and our honours ^{the stars & stripes} No, no never be it
said of us, - we are willing to fight, & to die if we
must, for the maintanance of our cherished institutions
and the principle of self Government, - but it does
seem to us, short sighted mortals, that after a protracted
war of two years, that we are no nearer the
end, than when we began - that with all the