In Camp near Franklin LaFeby. 4th 1864Dear Laura

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I have allowed a few days longer than usual to pass between my Letters for the reason that for the two last mails. I have not heard from you but the mails come now, Every three or four days & I do not begin to worry any yet.

The cold weather, that I have written you so much about, seems to have left us, & the days are so warm that we have to raise our tents in the day time - but at night the heavy dews, & cold, make every thing uncomfortable. - thundershowers are frequent & the people call it spring - the leaves are beginning to start on the trees & if there was any body to do such things - plowing & planting dowing would undoubtedly be in order. My health has been pretty good lately, but I am afraid that I shall be troubled with chills, & fever, for every night, I wake up about 2 or 3-o-clock, with evry symptom of having a chill right away but by taking [      ] & pepper I have so far kept them away. Capt. Carpinter, of whom you have heard me speak so often, has had the chills & fever very hard, & it seems now as though he

would have a course of billious fever, but I hope not for he is a very fine young man - He has tried for over a year to get out of the Army but as yet has not succeeded. Our Regiment is in a curious situation - as I wrote you before more than 3/4 of the Regt. have re-enlisted, but it seems that Gen. Banks does not know whether to accept us or not. and has sent to Washington about it. So the men are in suspense about it - on one hand. expecting to have a furlough of 30 days - & on the other expecting Col. Thomas every day with 400 more men, which will prevent their going home. I find it impossible to realize that over 4 months have passed since I left home - nearly 5 months - I can assure you that it has not been very pleasant for me.

To pay nothing of other things. my health has caused me a good deal of pain & trouble - my way of living, has most of the time been wretched - & I have suffered a good many days & nights, from wet and cold. But I would care nothing, comparatively, about these things if I could be easy & contended in my mind. Thinking about going home, and expecting to go, takes my mind and attention away from my duties, so that I do not feel the interest in itthem - that I used to, & still there is so much to do, that in the ambition to have the