Letter No 22Brandy Station Va.Feb 18th/64Parents & Brothers;

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I have rec'd yours of the 9th & hope that [] this you have another from me, nothing of any importance has happened since I wrote last but I thought it, was about time to write again my health in good & I hope this will find you all in good health also. Ira is not very well now, his leg is troubleing him some at present the surgeon tells him he cant do much for it anyway. Swift is well as usual. We were paid off the day I wrote the last time, I rec'd $26.00. I shall send some money home soon, by express, but I will before write

again before I send it the mail is quite unsafe it was robbed at the Brigade head quarters a few days ago. I have not heard whether at is known who the robbers were 4 substitutes deserted the night after we was paid, that makes seven7 substitutes that have deserted from this Company about 20 it is said wehn the night after we were paid the 3 first that left this company have been heard from, I of them was owe orderly seargents brothers. When he got to Canada he wrote back, he said they fell in with Mosbys guerillas A after they had told Mosby who they was & where they were going he paroled them & helped them all he could.

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I just heard the corperal say that the pirate Alabama is taken I hope it is so.

Our Captain is with us now he has just returned from Vt, he has been at home recruiting about a year ever since he was promoted to cap't he has a good name by those that know him. We are having a pretty cold snap just now but no snow, yesterday & the day before the wind blew hard, if there been the snow that you have in Vt, the weather here would be a match for any Vt weather, tell Irwin to walk a crack with his new clothes & then see if he can say some of his letters.

Tell Eddie that I could read his letter with out any trouble & should like to have him write again, tell him I have got

an Enfield rifle, the [] I use to cut wood with to burgs pretty small axe I guess he will think, tell Curtis I should be glad to have him write when his eyes get well, you wished me to get a photograph but I could not, have you got the Ambrolype I sent you I dont think of any thing more to write now so I must draw to a close & read the news for I have just been out & bought a paper, perhaps my last letters was lost I mailed it about the time the mail was robbed but you can tell by the number.

Yours TrulyB.P. Sparrow