St. Augustine March 14th 1863

Dear Wife

We are in luck the Steamer Delaware came in sight this A.M. & sent her Boats ashore with the Mail So I am in rect of yours of the 23rd prox & 1st inst Now believe me when I say how glad I am to hear that you are better. for I have had many fears that you might not get better, you write for money, I hope ere you get this that the $20 I have sent will have reached you. if it dont, I dont know what you will do, unless you can borrow, I cant borrow here for they are all as short as myself. I trust we shall be pd off before a great while, but cant tell, as it run Six months before, I dont know but it may this time. I wish I had not pd for the last months board & sent the money to you but then we were told that we was to be paid the first of this month, it is now 3 oclock & the Mail leaves at 4 pretty short notice to receive & write letters, but I have little to write Genl Seymour came today & is looking round;

I mistrust something is up, but dont know. the Nigger Brigade is at Jacksonvill, 18 miles from here, & prehaps he is going to give us some work to do. Lane is a ruined Man in this Regt I am sorry for him; dont say anything about it unless you hear it from some other source [I have got more revenge than I should have asked for.] I sent you $10.00 Feb 17th also $10.00 Feb 24th I think it must have reached you if it ever does. I thought Gove was in the Army instead of being arround home drunk half of the time how did he get home? if he went; as if I reccollect right you wrote me that he enlisted with Morgan. you write there is more Licqor drank than ever, I should think what few there are left would be Drunk all the time.

After I recd James letters the other day saying you were no better, something seemed to tell me that you were better, & in spite of myself I felt cheerfull although it seemed like doing wrong to be so, it might be because I felt so much better myself.

you speak of a Furlough that is out of the question unless I am wounded, or sick enough to die. I dont suppose it would be possible to get one. Kiss the Girls for me for their letters Ada writes that Nan & Lill are awfull roguish; I shall have to put them in the Guard-House for 4 days if they are such Rogues. the Fleas are outrageous keep me awake nights. if there is anything that would make a Minister swear they will. I must Close with love to you all

C Shedd