Camp Parole Va

Wednsday Sept 16th 1863

Health is good but sad & disappointed. “Yesterday I went to the Great City of Washington & oh how I did wish I could of seen your Dear face there when I Came to see so many men & women who seemed to take so much Comfort in Each Other Society you cant tell how bad I felt & oh how much I longed to be at home with you & my little Ones. I was in the war Department & I saw Dave Laughlin there & had Quite a talk with him he told me he did not think there would be any more Exchanges So I can’t see what they are going to do with us Unless they do let us Come home. I came home tired almost out about Dark last night & am sore all over to day I was in most all the Public Buildings the war Department the navy yard Smithonian [sic] institute & the Capitol so you see I had Quite a tramp of it oh I wish you could see it as well as me altogether it is Quite a sight worth seeing we heard today they was giving out 15 hundred furloughts at Annapolis to one time for thirty days so may be if we have paitience [sic] over time may come yet it don’t seem to do any good to make an application for a furlough … Laughlin told me if my father went to [Rescoe?] Conklin & had him to intercede for me I might get a furough that way… a great many of the Boys have got them from Francis Kernin But Laughlin tells me he is on the wrong side of the house he has no influence at all that is the reason why they don’t get them.”

Complains that they are making him be very strict, giving orders to the boys that he doesn’t want to but he must obey : “the Boys look to me to see if I wont be so hard on them but I must Do my duty or else Suffer myself for it I will send you a couple of pictures for Ida & Willie they was given to me & I feel as if I wanted to send them something & don’t know what else I can send them kiss them often for me take good care of your health for my sake.” Closing.