Dear Mother,

I received your letter yesterday.  I was very glad to hear from home.  I am well and am glad to hear that you are the same.  We are still at Annapolis.  Our regiment is all together.  We expect to leave in about ten days.  We expect to go on this expedition.

There is about 15 steamers and men-of-war and a great many schooners in the harbor.  The expedition will sail soon.  There is a great quantity of provision and forage and shell balls and ammunition here.  The 1st Vermont Cavalry and the 5th Rhode Island  Battery and another battery just arrived.  I don’t know where from.  The 11th Connecticut are here.  Our regiment is the best here.  The 25th are to take the right of the First Brigade.  They hate our regiment because they are afraid we shall get it instead of them because we drill the best.  We expect to go on the Second Brigade.

We were ordered out to camp.  We formed a camp, pitched our tents and got everything ready to move when we got orders to stay in the yard till we went on board the ship.

We have a good time here.  It is rather cold but we have not had any snow.  We have a good fire in our rooms and on our beats.  We go on guard once in about 7 days.  We have considerable extra duty to unload provisions off the steamers.  We go outside the city to battalion drill.  I saw Uncle Charles the other day.  He is well and likes soldierin pretty well.

I don’t think of much more to write, so goodbye for now.

From your son,

Henry Brown

Dear Sister,

I am glad to hear from you and am glad to hear that you are better.   I should like to hear you all very much and  also the neighbors.  Tell Nat Mills that I should like to have him write very much.  Electa, when I get paid off again, I will send you some.  We have got to fall in with knapsacks on to go out on battalion drill.  Direct your letters as before and I shall get it wherever I am.  Write as soon as you get this.  Goodbye.   I send my love to you all and all the rest, so goodbye.

This is from your brother,