Letter written by Henry Welch, corporal in the 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company K, to his mother from Camp near Kelly's Ford, Virginia, September 10, 1863

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PAGE IMAGECamp.near, Kelly's Ford, Va (Virginia) (Kelly's Ford, Virginia) ,
Sept. 10th, 1863, My Dear Father (Welch, Luther) ,

It was with
great pleasure that I received
your letter last evening, I
am glad to hear that you
are all enjoying good health,
Father (Welch, Luther) I hear that you
have been working pretty
hard this summer, you
must not work so hard
if you cant hire your
work done let it go without
being done, and not make
your self sick by working to (too)
hard, I see that you have
received that check all
right I began to think it
had failed to go through

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PAGE IMAGE when I wrote to you about
my shirts I wrote for you
to send some thick ones,
I did not intend to wear
a vest this coming winter
when I wrote for them
but as I have made up
my mind to wear one I dont
care about their being
so thick, I dont care how thin
they are, that blue flannel
that you wrote about wont
hardly do, I dont think it
would suit at all, I dont
like the stile (style) of wearing
flannel very much, I think
you can find some grey
shriting at some of the store's
or factorie's up there, if you
c'ant (can't) you need not send
any, for I can buy me
some of the sutler for
seven dollar's a pair, its a

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PAGE IMAGE pretty good price but I
can get some there that
will suit me. we can draw
course (coarse) flannel shirts of the
goverment (government) at a cost of one
dollar a peice (piece), but us
boy's have taken a notion
to have something a little
nice, you see that us
soldiers are pretty proud,
and now a word, Geo: Osborne (Osborne, George)
you wrote had got Lane (Lane) to
work for him to get him
a commission, well I will
tell you how George Osborne (Osborne, George)
has managed since we have
been down here. he is as you
perhaps know a private like
the rest of us, well he has always
shirked his duty off on the
other boy's and he has hung
around the Capt's tent he
has never done any duty

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PAGE IMAGE never stood guard or picket
since he has been in the
service, the boy's call him
the "Flunky" of company
K and well does he merit
the name, when he is not blacking
Wiley (Wiley) 's shoes he is
tradeing (trading) old watches or playing
card's or getting the boys to
go into some lottery speculation
which he is doing now, as far
as bravery is concerned there
is not but very few
in the Co: but what has
more courage going into battle
than he has, he has ben
trying to get a commission
ever since he has been down
here you need not let any one know
much about this letter, I am
well as common, and I hope this
may find you all enjoying the
blessing of good health. no
more this time,

yours truly Henry Welch (Welch, Henry) PS

I think you had better
send my boots and thing's in a box
to me seperate (separate)