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December the 2nd, 1863

My cousin
I take my pen in hand to inform you that I am well at present and I ( ) these lines may find you enjoying the same blessing. You all afear to be dead and whether you be or no I can not tell if if you are not dead you are very careless about either friends or relation and for writing you do not give a damn whether you all write or not though I might write every day which I do every two or three days and sometimes every and to get once a month I can not it looks as though you might once in a while every
three or four months and I would get a letter now and then but

you all write it is all or most never. I want you to write for I won't or will not be home before or under six or seven months. I do not want to come before the last of August and perhaps by that we will be closer home and if not I do not know when I will be home

If-hear any more such reports as I have I do not expect I will come at all one more move like this heretofore takes place and I start and get in ten miles of home and I hear of it, I-take a little tack and tack right back and catch the old gray goose by the hind then 1t will be flip flop old mother huckle backmamy dog bait it I aint gone E.O. and I will eat somebody's

for if don't I will not get no Indiana wedding cake I see you are all trying to get married because I have gone war to eat rebal and take blue pills.

Never mind my time is a-coming and I will catch some of you a-napping but all I ask of you is not to do no more for my time must be next if not, I will stay here among the rebals which to live and I would not had that to have gone of no way for I would have given 2 five dollar bills to have seen George marry if I was to home I would come and have fun I wonder if old Charles Allen (?) was there if he was I know him and Mathias and Jos. P. Hapeen (?) had plenty

of fun and if had been you would had fancy (2?) fun.

Just got the word yesterday and I thought I perhaps if I would
write today I might get some of the cake for I know (/) has got some and l want a piece of it has to be five years old and I dare another of my cousins to get married without I am there or without I die or the rebbals feeds me too heavy then then if they will go on at such against my orders they will have to but Mathias must not marry until I come home for I intend to have all of my connections to my wedding

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and tell me why in the devil if you

got something good to eat all of that good possum, coon, rabbit, black squirrel and I heard rooster crow yesterday morning and just below here they (line covered up)deer and turkey and dem dar great big fat hogs and don't you know that I will have good times. 25 our boys was down in the woods other day and rebals got after them and they got to an intrenchment and fired on the rebals and they took the wings of the morning in retreat and they got out of intrenchment and the rebels seeing that there was not many of them and they come again. The captain seeing a gunboat which was making its way to them the captain run

a little distance back give the gunboat sign and she opened fire on them and (obliterated) had to retreat for something.

Give my love to all of the friends, don't give the secess an inch but come John has no word on them.

No more at present.

John Posey to Mathias Embry.

Write to me soon again to Foley Island, South Carolina.
John Posey, Company J, Mass. 5th Regiment, in care of Captain W nnt who is a good father to us.