Letter - 21 Dec 1862

A copy of the original document is shown on the left, with a full transcription on the right.  For purposes of authenticity, I have transcribed the information  exactly as it is written - with all punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure the way it appears in the original text.

Dear brother I am well hoping these may find you as it _____ me. I han't herd from home but one time sinc we left Cincinnati I have rote several home.
Well John we got on the boat yesterday at Memphis but this morning finds us one hundred miles below Memphis at Heleny Arkansaw.
Am waiting for the rest of the gun boats to come up for we ar afraid to go any further with out them here at Heleny is a bout seventy fiv regiment in camp

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we are going to open the Mississippi River or get a whiping there is a bout
one hundred boats loads of us besid the gunboats the boats is ___ed as far
up and down the river as I can see the boats is loaded so heavy we had to take the
wagons to ______ and pile them on the top of the boat and swing the ambulances on the bow.

So no more
from Pleasant
to John R Bowman and family