Dear Father I will send you a few lines By Polk which will Learn you that I am well I hope these lines will find you all well I have received a letter from you Dated the 16th of this inst which I was glad to get it is the only letter I have received since I left home we have no news of any importance to write at this time
I want you to se george Baly me and tell him if he wants to come to our company that I will have him a good horse of his own and money enough to Bare his expenses to the

Regiment and he will get 24 dollars per month and if he will come he will have nothing to do only say so and if he wants to come in the ware now is the time for I dont think the war will last more than 6 months and tell him that I will stand By him and se him out in any thing he wants me to do and he will get very good fair and good wages & a good horse of his own I want him to go in j steps place and that will be better than to come in his own place and I expect he will get 1 or 2 hundred dollars more & tell him I want him to be sure and come

polk shipman will se to geting the horse and he can come on as he does to the Regt and will get here safe with out costing him any thing and you must keep this a secret from the old man Baley untill he gets away for he will be against him coming Be sure to not let his father no it one monts in the service is worth .5. years scooling to him and he can get his scooling after he gets Back and than he will be a smart man I want you to se if you can get me a good harty horse if you can on credit till fall I can

make a good horse clear I can get Between 600 & a 1000 dollars for the and I have got I think if you was to go down about Spring creek you could get a good horse on a credit I expect folke will go down there to get him one you need not to put your self to any trouble without you think you can get one that will pay if if polk dont get that one for george if you get me one he can ride mine to the Regt and I can fix for him here I cant send you no money now but if george comes I can send you $150 dollars By jack stepp and if you send me the horse I can send you enough to pay for both horses I will close J A Shipman