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Quarters/Company D 7th Illinois Vol. Cav., La Grange Tenn. March 9th 1863, Friend Charlie... I have just received your welcome letter of Feb. 18th so you see it has been detained a long time by the mail which will excuse any apparent negligence on my part in not answering it sooner... The mails has been very irregular lately on account of the railroads having been broken in various places in this section by the unremitting constancy of the rains and consequent high water: but of course your letter would come through or burst its envelope and through it did come brim full of news and humor. And that was not all for accompaning the letter was a couple of beautiful valentines (not gallentines) one for William and one for myself and you will please accept our thanks for the letter and more especially for the valentines. I dident consider it necessary for me to keep the valentine in order to show my respect for the sender so I sent it to another person that they too might have an insight into the mystiries of and the realities of life. I wouldn't wonder if you was to hear from it again anon. I am in just medium health not very well nor very ill. William was in good health yesterday morning how he has got along since then I cannot say. This regiment and other reg.s and parts of regiments started out on an expidition yesterday morning to capture a rebel camp said to be within twenty miles of here. I was prevented from going with the company by unforeseen events. We have done a great amount of scouting in various