April 28th 1863
                     John C. Andrews
[See below] Dear brother
                  I take my pen
                  in hand to write
                  you a few lines
that we are all well at present
and hope these few lines will
find you all well  I received
your letter last Friday a week
and was glad to hear
that you was well  I received
a letter from Jasper last friday
he is at Franklin.Tenn he has
been in a fight the Rebels loss
was 300 kild and wounded and
their loss was 100  Jasper is Can-
nonier in the Siege Battery he
Says that 75 of them that was
taken prisoner have died on
account of bad treatment.  there
has been Several deaths Since I
wrote to you last.  William
Holingsworth's wife died two
weeks a go with the Conjestion
of the bowels and Harison
Bright died with the lung-
fever a bout a month a go it has
been rather wet this Spring
for farming  we have got our
oats Sowed and they are all
up and we have Some ground
plowed for Corn.  we have a
nice prospect for a fruit year
the peach trees have been all
out in bloom and the aple
trees are beginning to bloom
the wheat Crops is almost an
entire failure on the prairies
we have the best wheat I
have seen and part of it
was Sowed after that first
snow we had in october
  Uncle Bennet Wellman
has been out to See us he
did not Stay but little over
a week  I expect you would
have been glad to have Seen
him  well I don't know
as I have anything more to write
I will tell you about Some
of the weddings  Al Adams
and one of the Harper girls
was married Some time ago
and Milton Hays and
one of Cranes Girls one next
to Subrina and old Tomny
Bright and Saly Frasier
  well I must quit writing
you must excuse me for
not writing Sooner and my
bad writing  write as Soon
as you Can So no more at present
from George W Andrews
 
NOTE:  The upper left corner of
the front of this letter has a picture of
an Eagle on above American flag shield
with the following inscription under it.
 
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be out motto: In God is our trust.
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.