Dear Father And Mother

I will write you A few lines to let you know that I am well hopeing this will find you all the same..
     Their is nothing of interrest to write it is very cold here now it makes a fellow git up and dust to keepe warm we have a house to stand in it is not so bad as standing out of doors. John McArther got a letter from the regiment the 84 is provo guards in Huntsville. I think some thing will come to pass very strange

when they git that place I think the war must be over. I was up to the Hospital they other day and I found S. M. Davenport [i.e., Pvt. Samuel M. Davenport, Co. G, 84th Illinois Infantry] their sick he is not able to be a round any and I dont think he will be able to go front for some time he looks very bad some at the hospital a said he was playing off and I told them he never did the like.. Stockton [i.e., Pvt. William H. Stockton, Company K, 84th Illinois Infantry] and Cowden [i.e., Pvt. Albert Cowden, Co. K, 84th Illinois Infantry] are both with the regiment now. I don't know as I will ever go to the regiment and I may go in a short time I would as live stay here we have a very good shanty and lots to eat and drink and that is all we can ask. I hope it will not be long till the war will be over some thinks

the war will end this spring I hope so.. We havent had but one paper since we have bin here and we dont know what is going on. the cars will not run here for some time yet their is a bridge or two to build yet they run with in fifteen mile of here. Their is more cursed niggers here than I ever saw before and they can beg the hardest of any set of folks I ever saw they will come and want some meat and some wood and sugar and coffee and bread and then want pay in money for washing so they can git some wood and they lay the money a way and come and beg wood and I dont want any thing to do with them. I suppose it is very cold up in Ills.

it must be cold up their when it is so cold here.
     Well I have wrote more than will interest you so I will bring this to a close. this is from your hopeful,

Henry H Maley

To william M Maley
And E A Maley