Dear Brother:- yours of the 7th inst came to hand in due time, only five days old. I am astonished to hear that my letters of the 18th sept. and 2nd oct. had not reached you for surely a letter should go to you as soon as yours come to me. I am somewhat concerned about the one of the 18th Sept. for I sent it in the box with the goods, by express, and it was started on the 19th. you should have got it at least four weeks ago. But it may be that the express Co think that it is not safe to send goods and so detained it on the way somewhere between me and you. But I have not the least idea of the cause that would delay the mails. It cannot surely be necessary for my letters to you to go all the way to Atlanta and then back again to you. If it is I should like

to know the reason for it I am sorry to learn that you are living on short tac while at home we have plenty. But I sincerely hope that you will soon get your full rations. We are all well at this time. When I say all I mean Ganny, Aney, baby and all. Jack was over one day last week he said the folks were all well there Bill Spencer the livery stable man is dead. A man in our city yesterday handed me a brass plate that is very much battered and told me that his son, who has just got home from the army in Georgia and said that you sent it home by him to let us see how near you came to being shot. He gave no explanation as to how, when or where it happened and we would like to hear the history of that bruised and battered plate, and you will greatly oblige your axious friends at home by an explanation of the affair in your next letter to us

you need not be alarmed about your not being able to draw your bounty for a law of Congress was passed last winter by which you are to get $400 bounty. The first you got when you reenlisted and the balance you will get in equal payments every six months or regular pay day. And we at home voted a tax last spring to pay the veterans a private bounty of $100 which awaits your order. These stories about the soldiers being cheated out of their bounty is a copperhead lie got up for electioneering purposes and nothing else. We have a achieved another great, grand and glorious victory over the enemy in the seat at the state elections. The friends of the Union carrying nearly everything before them The 11th day of Oct 1864 was an eventful day, and the history of the world does not record results more important to the cause of human progress and universal liberty than those which were

then achieved In this grand movement which is sweeping before it every obstacle that tends to obstruct the onward march of freedom. there can be no step backward and therefore the decision in Nov. will only differ from that of Oct. in this that all the loyal states will then join in proclaiming the verdict which has now been rendered by only a few. For this united decision the people will be prepared. I do not know how the vote stands in this county but suppose the rebs have elected all the county officers. We have 17 of the 19 Congressmen in the state a clear gain of 12. Jack Frost has got to be a fixed fact among us. The New Constitution of Maryland abolishing slavery has been adopted by a vote of the people I cannot think of anything else to write now but after this letter is gone I will think of a great many little thing I would like to have said. So with a hope that you may soon continue to draw full rations I am as ever for old Abe and the Union

James