Nov the 17 1863
Dear Wife
By the grace of Almity god I seat my self to drop you a fu lines to let you no that I am well to night and I hope those fu lines ma find you and all the family I am writing by canel light in our house we have gut in our winter quarters at last we have gut twelve cabins up and nighteen to put up yet Bob Ad gut back this morning the helth of this ptalion is beter there is a heep of Sick here yet our mes is all beter but greer he is in the hospitle yet I dont know whether very will have any fiting Soon or not here I can here them runing the blockades every day or too Sevn boats came in the uther day at one did you ot to See the boats that is here
I ingoy my Self tolareble well only home is a good place to this in its worst Stage we draw cincinata Spike meet it cums from nasaw on the Blockade[note] rumey thick midlen Strong with Salt petr that no one can eat it and Smels bad and corn meal that is our rashions an little rice and badly cooked and we cant by any thing here evry thing is So hi flour is one hundred dolars pur Barl pork is 2 dolars a pound chickens is 5 D a head but is 8 D a pound apls is one D a aple tobaco 3 D a pound sweet tatoes 15 D a pound Biscuts is 25 cts a Biscut I think sum folks down here will Starve I must come to a close I want you to Do the Best you can and that wil Satsfy me I dont no when I can cume home not Soon i dont Supose.
When this you see remember me
R.C.C. M.I. Caldwell
My paper is So bad I cant write on but one side of it with ink my canle half dun an tha are all sleep but me and Bob Query he is in Bed a grunting I think he is a bout to brake down he is rite porly with his boats Bob A told me that he saw brother L on the train last night gone to Raleigh with DeSurlog he Sed he was well nuthing more Magg but remain your friend unto death so help me god I cant do nuth for you now you must the best you can that last letter you wrote me I cudent understand write Soon Satisfied to me amen
