Dear Wife,-

I presume you will be a little surprised to hear that we are under marching orders again. I have been expecting it for some days. We have moved our Camp about a half a mile to the east from our old Camp,- onto clean, high, level ground. Our old Camp had become unclean from long use, and in the hot weather it did not smell very sweet. We now have everything clean and new. We were three days building our new quarters which was hard work for me. Captain Crary and I went to the woods, cut pine trees and split them into slabs for the sides of our quarters covering the top with canvas. We have two bunks,- one double below for the Captain and me, and one single above occupied by Lieutenant Culver. We have all necessary furniture of our own manufacture, and keep our house in good order.

Our mess tent is a few feet back of our tent and the members of our mess are: Captain A. H. Tanner of Whitehall; Captain O. S. Hall of Cambridge; Captain J. S. Crary of Salem; Lieutenant Alex Anderson of Fort Ann; Lieutenant J. W. Culver of Shushon; and myself. We employ a cook, buy the provisions, and each one pays one sixth of the expense. We think this our best and cheapest way of boarding. And then we will have someone to provide for us on a march and in a battle so I will not starve again if we have another one.

We pay for dried apples 12 cts. per lb.; raisins, 20cts.; good tea is 60 cts.; coffee 12 cts.; flour 4 cts.; and meat, sugar and molasses about one-third lower than with you. Eggs are 50 cts. a dozen and lemons 8 cts. each. We have very good board. Our cook bakes very well for a man. We are having the best food that I have had since I came into the service and I enjoy it very much as I have a good appetite now, although sometimes I must be careful what I eat.

If we go on a march I will write as often as I can. Write me the same as I cannot tell when I will get mail.