Nov 1th / 61     Camp Douglas Chicago    Dear Mother I now  take the opportunity to write  to you to let you know  that we are all well  except Calvin Songster he  is a little sick we   expect our pay next week  the whole ridgement is  to be payed off now  pretty quick when i  get my pay I will pay  you back I am going to  give a dollar to wards getting   
        Page 2   the Captain a sworard  it will cost a bout  50 dollars we elected our  officers the other day I   will name them our  Captain Clay 1 Leutenant  Brown 2 Whipple 1  Sargent Roblerts 2 Scott  3 Lseathrof 4 Weaver 5  Charles Patterson Corprels  of Colors Songster 2 Murphy  3 Cy Newell 4 Fred Smith  5 Eckly 6 Wheeler 7  Bell 8 George Hawk  George Hawk and C West   and I run for Corpral  but George got it  I   
        Page 3     told the boys that I   did not want to run  against our boys all  I cared for was our  Capt and first and second  Lieutenant and our boys  carry ed the day we get  the ones we wanted our  Ridgement is organized  our Col  name is Stuard  we are all lettered off  our company is letter G  the Coln give the letters  just as he thought   best but if we had  drilled for letters we run  a good chance for letter   
        Page 4     A but I am stasfide with  my letter I feel pretty big  we have white gloves to wear  I had a letter from Ed the  other day he is well and   all the rest of them  give my love to Mary Amiee  I would like to se her  first rate tell her to write  when you do so at this  time from your Son  J.D. Beach  Douglas Brigadle  2 Ridgement  Chicago Ills  In care of Capt J. Clay