Aprel the first 1863
my love it will bother you to read som of it
My Dear beloved Wife I have set my self down to rite you a few lines to let you no that I am well as it leaves me at present but my dear wife I have got this day to my self for once and that is the first time for a good wile and now I will try and rite you a good letter for once but my dear I think you are as willing to do all you can do for me and that is all I ask of you I am well sadisfied with you my dear beloved wife when a woman tryes to please a man as much as you do me then cant a gree I think it is time for them to part but my dear is dear I never shal find eny falt with you my kind dear wife for I no you when I was at hom you was all ways reddy and willing to do eny thing I ask you to do but now we are worst then slaves ever can be for I well no you and I shall be glad when this war is all over for they keep fiten now every day a little and we keep wipen of them every time for that is the report hear now for we cant get but a little news hear but gave me the girl that loves me when I com roling hom swet hom to my blessed dear wife the one that I love to the bottom of my hart for it has bean for this last weak very dry and cold and the last day of march we got to or three hevey snow storm but I am very glad that I did not send hom my close but if we had we shold frose to death by this time my dear be loved wife but I rote a letter a good wile ago to mirs shalden but no ancer yet for if they dont like to ancer it I shant rite again til they do and how does your little baby calf get a long by this time or have you sold it but my dear beloved wife when me and you joun [join?] our to harts to gather that day a little did I think then I should be a solder and go a way from my one true love so quick as I did but my dear wife our time was short to gather but mdear wife when I live to get hom again
[at top of page] this is a poor pice of paper to rite on]
I hope and pray cencerly to god a bove that we may live in hapness and in truth and justes in all the rest of our days but my dear is dear I would like to se you now cince you way that much since I left you but the more you gain the better it will please me but now my one true love I hope you ant a goin to work out much this summer for I dont want you to do it at all for when you com hear or I com hom you wont no me my dear for I am grod poor cence I left my dear wife my love I wold like to bean at hom along with you in bead when my birth day was I bet thear wold be something a goin on dont you my dear beloved wife for every thing may com out rite for us som day or a nather but we cant tel how son nor how late but it ma be for our one good or not to now but god a bove but my dear beloved wife thank god that I can say that I have bean a true husband a onest [honest?] husbon to you cence we have bean join to gather under the lawes of god and in the love of Christ and in the world to com life ever lasting amen but my dear belove wife you must not feal bad wat I have rote hear after this I am a goin to keep more money by me for when thear is eny thing to eat brot in camp and when I get hungry I shall by it for I cant live all the time on the armey living for som time the other boys by som then when I get som then I give them som the ches is twenty five sents a pound and tea is to dollars a pound and very poor at that price but my dear I dont think you will get mad at this I hope not but I must bring this letter to a close by wiching my dear wife well for thear is no more from your dear Husbon Stephen Burton good nite and god bleach you and me to nite and for ever more.
