Dear Father And Mother

I will try and answer your letter of the 17.. I wrote A letter the day before we left Strawbery Plains but never sent it. we have been marching ever since and I have had no chance to write til now. I dont like the looks of this place very much. the railroad is toar up all A long here their is nearly half A mile of trussel work to build and A bridge six or seven hundred feete long it is all toar up for 40 mile but A bout 5 mile

I suppose we will go on as fast as they fix the railroad it is likely we will git to richmond in time to git in A big fight and that is what I do not like.
Wm Stockton [i.e., Pvt. William H. Stockton, Co. K, 84th Illinois Infantry] will start home in A day or so I am glad Will is going I think he aught to go if I was in his place I would want to go.. I dont suppose I will know eny boddy when I git home all that was 8 and 10.. years old when we left are grown up now as big as they ever will be.
I think I will rase some of them sand ridgeers up in the biz when I git home. I think I can

shoot as well as they can they are A set of thieveing low-lived devels. hell is full of better men then Riley Goff. You say you count the days. here if any of the boys gits mad at an officer they all ways say well in 4. months and 2. days that cind if talk will play out. Company G.. says that old Garternick [i.e., Capt. Frederick Garternicht, Co. G, 84th Illinois Infantry] can not ride home on the same train after they are mustered out I am glad that Father is practicing up on the fiddle for I have forgot nearly all I guess I will know some new tunes. Well you wanted to know A bout the boot and socks

the boots are gon up I have got one pair of socks yet that you sent me by George they are not very good but you needent mind A bout sending me any more I can git A long until my time is out it is not very long now I hope I will live to git home after going through what we have and only got 5 months to stay I would like to git home. Write often to your hopeful

..H. H. Maley

To Wm.. M. And
E. A. Maley