[There is a writing on the top of the page that is
meant as a continuation from page 4 of this letter.
The transcription appears at the end of this webpage.]                                       

                              Home. Sunday morning
                                     January 18^th, 1863 
Dearest brother 
                           We received your letters
yesterday  we have never received any
that was so welcomed as those we
had not heard you since the sixth
of last month.  We had almost conclude
you was dead or taken prisoner;   you
may imagine we were glad to hear from
you, to hear even you were as well as                
what you was ^are.   Ben go to some Hospit
al at once and write where you are
and Father will go immediately after
you   it will be easier for you to get a
discharge if some one is there to help
get your papers fixed.  You need ^not think
the war is so near a close; they have made
no compromise and no ways near it  
the Northerners are losing ground every
day.   I think if there is any compro-
                                                mise

it will be to let the south go to itsself. 
They tell you that the war is so near a
close I suppose to keep you in as good
spirits as possible, it is well enough they
have something to enliven you a little.
Tom Prather received a letter from
Lugran some time ago he is no more
republican, he sais.   he will never vote an-
other repub ticket.  Dave Miller has come
home discharged  he sais he ^will never vote any
thing but a democrat ticket as long as
he lives.  Wils Faucette is going to be dis-
charged soon  he had the diarrhea and took
cold and settled on his lungs  
We will have a Newsyears gift for
you when you come home.  Mother says
if you will write when the day you                             
will be here she will kill ^roast a turkey and
bake you a blak blackberry pie and fix you
a nice dinner. .
After this if the Dr wants you to go
to the Hospital dont you refuse go right

away for perhaps when you want to go
you cant get the chance and when you
get there write immediately and father
will go as soon as he gets your letter and
finds where you are  if he can get there
any way at all.  He  started once and
could not ^get there. we have written to you
about it before if you have got their
letters.  Wil Carter wrote home last week 
he said John McClain was wounded in the
leg and had to have it taken off in
about six inches of the body.  he is I believe
close to Nashville.  Wil Brown was slightly
wounded but I cant tell where
  We have heard no further particulars
yet there may be some more in Jas Jor
dans company that is wounded or
killed.  There is I guess several wounded
from Brownsburg but I dont know
any of their names  perhaps they were in
Jos company.  Bill Patterson is I guess
in the Hospital at Evansville and has

been for some time  he is now waiting
on the sick.  Your colts are doing fine  they
look a little wolley as colts you know always
do this time of the year.  Little Jim bangs
them around rapidly  thy talk of haltering
him to himself.  Alvah is very curious
to know if one of those seven letters was
his  he hates to think his labor was spent
in vain telling so much about his
fine rabbit ^hunt and so forth.
There is quite a snow on the ground now
fell last Thursday and Friday but the road
is not in very good fix for sleighriding it
was so muddy before the snow fell 
Is Wing with the company Father was in
town yesterday the other day   saw McCormack  
he said Wing had the fever   old Hancock
wrote for him   is old Hancock in your
regiment?  I Just now asked Father
what more news he had to write he said he believed
nothing more except he had been to uncle Alexs
brought a black cat home to keep the rats out of
^the cellar (in fun he said it)  Father has been to
uncle Roberts   they are all well   the children
have had the Measles but they are well again.
I expect uncle Robert will go down there with
Father.  Old Jimmie Tallbot got a letter from
Bill Adams   he has joined the regulars for
five years.   I think he is foolish boy indeed.

I heard this evening that Isim has got a
letter from Jo Jordain he sais John McClain is
very dangerous   Doc Ray is wounded but not badly
I guess.   Dan Hoadly has had the fever very bad but
                                   is getting better.

                                    (signed along the left margin of the page)  M. J. Smith