Little Rock Ark    July 25th 1865     Dear Mother    I will now answer your  Letter which I just received dated June  10th 1865 I think it is about time I was  getting it don   t you it is the only  one that I have had since I have been  here to this place I think it is pretty rou  gh to not get a letter only once in about  two months I should not of written  any more until I heard from you if  it had been 10 years I suppose you  think the war is over and you will   not write any more for you think  thare is not dainger of me getting  killed or hurt but still I would like  to know how things is going on a  little oftener I suppose you are quite  busy now but I guess you could  find time to write a few words  a little oftener than you do I see thare  is no use of me saying any thing  about writing long letters any more  because that is played out with you   
        page 2     Hannah and Helen does not write any  thing any more. I sent home 125 dollars  a while ago I have not heard from  that I do not know whether it is  lost or not I sent 100 by Express and  25 by F. Smith I suppose he is home before  this time. Well I suppose you would  like to know the news Well thare is some  talk of us agoing home the first of next  Oct but I do not know nor care I   do not believe I would stay around  Deer Park very long thare is nothing thare  that I can do for a living I am going  to some City. I had a letter from Eut?  and one from Father they were both  well I have not heard from Julia B  radley in a long time I got a letter   from a girl in Roxbury by the name  of Minnie Flowers I believe she is  a cousin of Julia well Frank Bennett  and Calvin Langston have got a furlough  a piece and are going home Frank  will be up thare soon I guess Cal will   not stop thare thare will be a chance  for some more furloughs pretty soon  I do not know as I would go if i  had a chance it would not hardly pay   
        page 3     to go home now and spend 100 or   200 dollars I think I had better wait  untill I get out I did not get that  letter from Ada yet I did not think  that she would write to me any more   I had an idea that she had found some  one that she thought more of than  she did of me I would like to hear  from here a little oftener than I have  lately when you see her give her my  best respects and tell her am well  and am in hopes to get a chance  to see in a short time I think we  will be at home by Fall any how  and perhaps before I did not tell  you I had a violin did I well I  bought one and gave 20 dollars   for it I am practicing a little once  in a while I played for a Ball  last thare was two of us we got   5 dollars apiece. Tell  John I want  him to write to me and write a   good long letter and write all the  news I heard Charles ----- was  married how is that is it so if it   is who did he marry he is not   here yet I expect him every day   
        page 4     Fryday July 28th 1865 I did not finish  my letter the other day I did not have  time to day is mail day and Perhaps I  will get some more letters. We expect to  leave here every day for St Louis or Louis  ville I do not know which place we  will go to the talk now is that we will   leave next Monday or Tuesday I hope we  will it looks a little as if we would  leave here soon yesterday I bet five  dollars we would leave inside of eight  days I will not finish this letter untill  after the mail comes in tell Ada I  saw Jimmie Morgan the other day and   had a long talk with him he is 2nd   Lieut of a ----- Regt he likes it first  Rate I guess I will finish now for   The mail will go out before it comes  In F. Bennett and Cal have furloughs  But I guess they will wait untill they  Get home no more from  JD Beach  55 Ills