Corydon Ind March 17th 1863
Dear Cousin John,
                  I do not doubt but that you will be very
much surprised at receiving a letter from a cousin that you
never saw, and more so as it is from a lady, but I hope you
will pardon the intrusion on the plea that we are cousins,
and I will try and explain why I write to you.  Relia re-
-ceived a letter from you a week or so ago and her eyes have
been so sore that she was unable to answer it and I proposed
that I should answer it as I had nothing else to do. She has
had the neuralgia in her eyes for several months and she
can not bear any light.
   I don't know of any news to tell you would interest
you. I recken Relia and Helen have told you all about our
little town.Helen is going to school now but I am staying
at home.The new quarter began this week and last week
was vacation on the last day or rather night--for it was
at night--we had some speeches and rehersels like an
exhibition only not quite so good.There are several boys
and girls too in school that are very good speakers, and when
they have some good speeches they can make the evening
pass very pleasently.
   Cousin you will not be surprised if I make any mistakes
when I tell you that Relia is in the back part of the room
playing on the violin which is altogether out of tune.Helen
imagined it was out of turn this evening and she was trying
to remedy it and succeeded in making it sound like some poor
dog in misery, and when Relia begins to scraping on it--she cant
play--it is as much as I can do to write.
   We--that is the young ladies of Corydon--are going to give a
concert next month, the proceeds of which are to go towards
buing clothes for the soldiers.  Our society here in town is about
out of money and we have to do some thing to get some more.
I suppose your regiment is down at Vicksburg and I suppose
you will be in that great fight which will come off before
long.I do hope we will be victorious.The army of the Potomac
never does any thing and it would be too bad if we would
be whipped down south too.
   A friend on mine in the 3rd Cav came home on a furlough
the other day, he is on the Potomac.He is such a strong MClellan
man and it made him real mad for us to say any thing
against him. I guess that whole army thinks more of M C.
than they do of any other General.
   We have not heard from Cousin Ethan for a long time at
the time that he wrote to us last, he was still on the Potomac
where he has been for a long time.  As for Cousin James I
donÌt know when we heard from him. I suppose he is
still at Helena Ark..
   I should think the soldiers would get very lonesome in
camp with nothing to do or no battle or skirmish to enliven
them up, indeed I have heard a good many say that letters
are there only comfort.  Some of our friends getting rather
lonesome made a lottery.That is they wrote the name of their
lady friends on little slips of paper and each one drew a
card and they wrote to whatever ladys name they happened
 to draw.  Some of the girls here in town received letters from
gentleman that they had never heard of before, and I
suppose if one of the gentlemen that went from Corydon had
not written and explained the whole matter they would
not have knew to this day what it meant.
   Well Cousin I expect I had better bring this letter to a
close or I will not get to send it by to days mail.  We have
had such beautiful weather for about a week, but last
night it rained some and I am afraid it will rain to day
as it is rather cloudy.Relia says she will write to you as
soon as she can, hoping to hear soon that you were not
killed in the battle at Vicksburg,I will close
                                    Your Cousin
                                          Attia Porter