I have not yet learned the identity of this soldier who appears to have served in Co. K, Ohio Infantry, but what regiment? There are several names mentioned but I can’t place them and I can’t be certain of the signature either. Likewise, I can’t place the Camp location mentioned except possibly the one mile from the Soldier’s Home near Washington. Perhaps a Spared & Shared follower can look at this with more time than I have available.

T R A N S C R I P T I O N

Mountains Hills, Washington
October 4, 1861

Dear Sir,

Your letter came to hand in due time. I wrote to you about the same time you wrote to me and have been waiting for an answer and come to the conclusion that that is your fix. Chris, Co. K was out on picket last night. That’s just what I like. If I could go on picket all the time, I would be satisfied.

We left Camp Sholes last Saturday and are encamped now about a mile from the Soldier’s Home. Chris, that is the nicest place I ever saw. It is shaded so that the sun cannot shine in with all kinds of nice trees. Sunday evening the grove is just covered with fine haired folks. All of them have a waiter. It is some of the royal blood if Virginia and Maryland.

Chris, the colored woman out to see our cook shanty last night and showed our boys how to cook.

One of our boys got mad at the Captain the other day and went to the Colonel and told him that if he did not get another captain, he would get transferred into an artillery company. The Colonel told him that he would give the office to Crocket in a little while. Higginbottom is a brave man and he is good to his men, but he stammers, gives wrong commands, gets excited easy, and drinks hard. The Colonel promised Lieutenant the commission last night. The boys will feel rich when they get him for commander. He is going to make a military man if he lives. That one thing is all Company K lacks of being the gayest old company that ever left Ohio. The Colonel is going to send all home that gets sick when the long roll beats. There is about 25 of them lame and cowards. Only two in our company. One of them is blind and the other is afraid to breathe.

None of our boys has got in the guard house yet. There is four in the chain gang for five days, three carrying four muskets apiece for ten days, and two with wooden pockets for five days and enough to carry all the water for all the cooks.

I believe that is all. Write soon and tell me if you got that money I expressed to you. Chris, if Phebe don’t take Cole, she will be as bad off as Sarah Wolf is. Chris, if Foty and the rest of the girls get so wild that you can’t handle them, send them out here and they will soon get cooled off by order of Col. John Cochran.

M. A. Sturges [?], Adjutant Goodbye