Larkins landing Ala Feb 17th 1864     Dear Mother    I thought I would write  a few lines to you  this morning the Co. has  gone out a foraging and  I did not go I had the  Ague yesterday and expect  to have it to day but I   have been taking Quinine  this morning and prehaps  I will not have it yester  Day we was paid off I   Drew 6 months pay that  Was to the last of Dec  I drew 78 dollars and 191/2   for clothes that made 97 1/2   dollars I am going to put   
        page 2     enough with it to make  one hundred I have 20  5 doller bills now and that is a hundred what  There is owing to me  I think will do me until  I draw more one fellow  that I loaned 12 dollars  paid me I have not seen  the rest I have one hundred  and six dollars more and  there is 15 more that I   am pretty sure of  that will make 21  dollars left to last me  untill next pay day  I wish you would get  my watch in good running  order and send it down  by Frank Bennett I think  I can sell it for about   
        page 3     twenty to twenty-five dollars  I do not like the watch  very much I can do  better by selling it get it   fixed so it will run  good and some time  after pay day I can sell it  send it if you can by   Frank if not by him let  it go but I want it if  you can send it by him  some times I think I will   get my money in a 100  dollar bill and sent it  in a letter we are not   near an Express office if  we was I would send   it by Express I may send  it by Express yet you  can go to the Express   office once in a while I   
        page 4     shall direct it to you  if Mr Williams will take  it and give me a note  for it the same as  the other I would like to   have him take it I must   quit writing and take  some quinine send  me some stamps  as quick as you can  from your son  J.D. Beach