New house of refuge March 15/63
Dear Mother & sister Louisa this being sunday & as I have not writen to you for some time I thought I would write you a few lines my health is quite good I am geting to be as fat as a pig I have quit nursing in the ward as I did not like to be confined to a sick room so mutch of my time I am now waiting on a table where the teamsters bakers& wash house men board it takes me about one hour each meal the rest of the time I have to my self I wil tel you what I get to eat, for breakfast coffe beef stake & butter & as good lite bread as you ever saw for dinner baked beens roast beef sour crout letus potatoes & rice & beef soup for supper biscuit butter apple sauce & tea so you see we live pretty well we have splendid cooks, the convalescents of this hospital do not get very good grub they wil some times come around my table & pick up what is left & eat it as though they were most starved if there is any of the officers around they dare not come in to the dining room it makes my heart ache to see them sent out when they come in to get some thing to eat, they get as mutch to eat I supose as they ought to eat but it dont satisfie them & then they dont get quite as good, they get for brek hash & coffe for dinner beef & beens & soup for sup tea & molases. There is about 100 now that eat in the convalescent kitchen I was down to town yesterday & (next word is unclear, could be "drawed") me a couple of shirts I went up on the dome of the court house it is quite a curiosity there is just 236 steps to go up to the top I have not heard from Wilson for near 2 months I had a letter from father writen the 13 of Feb which came by the reg that had wilsons handwriteing on the back as he remailed it to me so I supose he is well or was at that time I think he mailed it on the first of March as near as I can tel by the envelope I havent had a letter from home for one month as it wil be one month tomorrow since the last one I got was wrote I am quite anxious to hear from there I do not know how long I shal stay here yet probely until after the spring rains are over in the south we have recd no pay yet old Robenson is here yet I had thought that he would of been discharged before now but he has not it is now very doubtful about him geting a discharge at al I want you to be sure & write often as I get no letters from any of the rest of the folks the weather is very warm & pleasant here we have had letus here to use for about a week I supose you have not sowed yours yet when I was in town yesterday I saw them marketing all kinds of early vegetables give my love to aunt Polly & all the rest of the folks & tel them to write to me I wil close for this time by subscribing myself your son & brother Allan
P.S. I never enjoyed myself better in my life than I do now for I never was of a contented dispostition but I think when I get home I wil know how to enjoy it & apreaciate your company, Allan
