4-page letter dated January 18th, 1863 from Camp Rodgers on the Yalobusha River, Mississippi. It wasn't until 1892 that the river's name was settled on its current spelling. It was also know as the "Yallabusha" and as the "Yellowbushy River." Which it is spelled 'Yallabusha' in the letter.

First off the there is a section of the upper left hand corner that is cut away for whatever reason. It only takes away about two words per line and by virtue of context does not necessarily take away from the overall mood of the letter. But nonetheless, it is cut away and mentioned for exactness. The ink is all very legible and could easily be transcribed. There are creases running down the letters from the original folds and some very old preservation tape used to keep the paper from tearing in the folds. It does not cover up any of the written ink. There is no cover with this letter.

Besides the normal content of the missing of his wife, the hardships of camp, and the gossip of military maneuvers and where they might go, there are a few lines of significance regarding the overall issues such as slavery and prisoner exchange.

"The guerilla has penned his proclamation _________ the slaves in the "disloyal states" and made a bid further to murder all helpless women and children in their power. Our President {Jeff Davis} has also penned a proclamation declaring Butler the Beast an outlaw and orders that no more Fed officer be exchanged until he is given up & again the Yankee leaders refuse....."