Have I received your kind and welcomed letter

Plantation Camp near Dondsvill [Donaldsonville, Louisiana]
April 6th [18]64
Have I received your kind and welcomed letter of the 20th this afternoon.  it being the first that I have received from you since we left Alexandria and I was very glad to hear from home and to hear that you was all well.  You spoke about the shingle mill being burnt and *** Coopes enlisting[.]  I wish that you would give me the *** in your next[.]
Well we are having a little scurmishing here now and it makes a little sport for some of us and some have to suffer for it.
I am well now and feeling firstrate except that I ame pretty tired this after noon for I have ben up since yesterday morning at 12 A[M] and most of the time in the sadle.

April 7
Well yesterday I was cald [called] from my writing to go on dress prade [parade].  Well if I was tiard yesterday I am more so to day for I was out again allnight on a scout and did not get back until 11A.M.  Well I will now give you some account of ower scouting since Monday night the 4th.  Monday at 2 P.M. we had orders to saddle up in lite marching order and be redy to fall out but we did not get orders to fall out until Tuesday at 1 A.M.  And then we started on ower scout and marched until daylight rite thrugh aswamp [a swamp] wheir we had to go in single file with the bushes in ower faces so we could not see the man ahead of us[.]  at daylight we halted in a small opening wheir we expected to find a band of gorilles but they was not their [there].  Their [there] was 3 or 4 niger shanties their [there] and some negroes and they sead [said] that the rebels left their [there] in the night so we started on in the direction that they sead the rebels went and soon entered the woods[.]  we had not gon [gone] far before we heard two shots fired in front and we soon had ower revolvers drawn and ready for use but come to find out it was two carbeans that was discharged axadently [accidentally] and one of the shots past rite threw the left foot of one of ower bois out of Co. D[,] so we had to send him back to camp and then we went on again for a few miles[.]  when we was halted again and their [there] we took two priseners and their horses but they would not tell wheir the rest of the gang was[,] so we past [passed] on in the same direction threw [through] the woods over loges and threw [through] mud up to ower horses belles [bellies] untill noon and then we came out into another opening and halted for ower diners and to feede the horses and their we took another prisner[.]  Well we started on again at 1 P.M. tords [towards] ower camp and soone struck into a gallop and the dust was so thick that we could not see one another and their [there] was a horse stumbled and fell in front and three or fore [four] more fell over him and wounding their riders pretty bad[.]  so you can see that there is a goodle [good deal] of changes in the cavalry but I think that if they all was as carful as I have ben[,] their [there] would not be so many axedants.  Well we did not have any more woods to go through so we arrived in camp Tuesday at 4 P.M. and I unsadled my horse and cleand him off and then went and got my supper[,] calculating to have a good nights rest[,] but before I got there super I was orderd out on Patrole[,] so I had to saddle up and go and patrole around the camp out side of the pickets all night and did not get back to camp until Wednesday at 11 A.M. and then took cair of my horse[,] eat my diner[,] and then I received a letter from you[.]  I read it and then sat dowen [down] to answer the same but had to leave my writing to go on dress prade and after that water and feede my horse[,] eat my supper[,] and then we all had orders to saddle ower horses that was able to[,] and fall out[.]  I had then ben up since Monday night at 11 P.M. and most of the time in the saddle so I tride [tried] to be excused but had to go and we marched until 12 O clock at night above the Potomack [Mississippi] when we came to a hold around a small place wheir their was two stores and three or fore [four] dwelling houses.  completed on the next sheete[.] [John is making a note that he completed this letter on another sheet of paper]

April 7 [18]64
and their we left a small party to gard [guard] the stores and the rest patroled up and down the road each way for 5 miles until daylight.  Ower calculations was to capture a band of goriles coming to the stores but we did not see any thing of them so at daylight we set returned back to camp and arrived their [there] at 11 A.M. Thursday morning and you better believe that I had a good sleep after I got my diner and took care of my horse[.]
Well I am feeling pretty well to day for I had a good rest yesterday and a good wash allover.  But I suppose that we will be sent out on another scout tomorrow for their was a report came into camp this morning that there is 500 rebels encamped withen 60 miles of this place.  You spoke about Eaedra having a letter from Fosyth and that they wer in Alexandria yet[.]  well that was all so for there is 4 Companies behind yet but I do not know wheir but I presume that some of them air [are] at the bottom of the oshen [ocean] for their was two companies left Alexandria soon after we did and have not ben heard of since and we canot get any news from them any wheir along the cost [coast] and it is supposed that their [they’re] as lost but they may come out all rite yet.  Well I have not much more news to write[.]  I want you should write often and write all the news and about how you get along at home[.]  I suppose that Austin has a pretty hard time in the shuger bush this spring but if he had shuger as handy as we have here he would not have to work for it[.]  the shuger hous [house] is withen 10 rods of ower camp and I get all the shuger that I want[,] and that is as white as it can be[,] but it is not like maple shuger but I have melted some over and shugerd it off like maple shuger and it is firstrate.  Adelia spoke about Aunt Charlot again to Vermont I want to know if they have broke up keeping house for uncle Ezekel was in washington when we left their and L [Ell] Picket saw him he was looking for a dary [dairy] farm wheir he could peddl [peddle] milk in the city.  Tell Adelia to write as often as she can and not wait for me to write to her for I write to you all when I write[.]  no more at present[.]  write soon to your son
J.R. Sunderland