Camp near the White house Landing May 20th 1862

Dear Father and Mother. I write these few lines to you hopeing to find you in good health as this leaves me in at present thank God.

Dear Parents we have moved about one mile since I wrote to you before. there is nothing of any importance going on here. we expect to move again tomorrow. the weather is very warm today.

we are in camp in a wheat field. the wheat is about 18 inches high. I have seen a field of corn about a week ago. it was then about two inches high and looked very well. this war will ruin this part of the country. there is not a fence to be found for miles around and most of the people have burned there houses and left.

I am sitting in the woods while I write under the shade of a large beech tree. the trees are all leaved out in good style and the woods look splendid. there is a half dozen niggers sitting behind me gambling and they are swearing so that I cannot think of anything but they talk so funny. Once in a while one calling the other a damned black nigger.

I have been in some of the prettiest places I ever saw since I have been out here and I wish you could see the place where I now sit. it is a very steep hill mostly covered with beech oak and wallnut trees with half a dozen springs at the bottom of it. it looks most splendid and there is soldiers going back and forth all the time after water

we are having four drills a day now. if we stop one day in a place they must have us drilling. it seems that our high officers could not live if we were not drilling. it is now 2 oclock and we must drill at three so I must go and get ready.

I wish you would write to me oftener. I will write again soon. no more at present from your son John Toomy.

enclosed you will find 5 dollars. I sent you five in my last letter. (I borrowed this from a friend.)