4 pages, 5 x 8, in ink, written by Lieutenant William B. Alexander, to his wife.

Fortress Monroe, [Va.] June 16, 1861

My own Dear Wife,

I received your letter of the 13 yesterday afternoon too late to answer it until today's mail.  Yesterday I had a light attack of diarrhea & Dr. Holmes gave me some medicine which has cured it & tomorrow I shall report for duty. I eat some fresh meat Friday which was tough & that was the cause of it.  I have been surprised at myself to think that I have been so well since I have been here.  I think it has done me more good coming here than any thing that I could have done at home.  The picture I sent to W. Lavery because I could not get it in the box I sent you.  You must write to him after he has seen it & shown it to the folks to send it to you.  I was to write a note to him with the picture when it went, but I was over to Castle Calhoun & Col. Raymond sent it in his box to Plymouth & I did not have time to write to him to send it to you.  I want you should get Ida the basque that you spoke of & any thing else you can for yourself & her. Any thing you do will please me & tell my dear little Ida that she shall certainly have her baby carriage & doll when I get home if it takes all the money that I have.  Our time is all most out.  I shall be sorry on account of the pay.  If I could be stationed in Boston I should like it first rate.  It is very hot weather here but we lay back in the shade & take it easy.  We have had new vegatables here for 3 weeks.  I suppose you have seen the account of the fight in the Boston papers so I can give you no news of it.  It was a great blunder from beginning to end.  I see that the N. York papers are very severe on Gen. Pierce.  I have seen & talked with dozens of men that were there & each one gives a different account so I cannot get a straight account to write you.  Jim & Thomas are well.  I am very glad of the stamps as I could not have written without them.  We are in better health than any regiment that has come here.  There is but one man in the hospital & he is not very sick.  I am very glad to hear that Ida's cough is better as it plagued me very much as I love my little Ida as I love my wife & as you are all I have to love & care for I wish I was better able to provide for you than I am.  I am glad you got the money from Dr. Abbott.  Give him my respects & all inquiring.  I have the honor of mounting the first gun on Castle Calhoun.  It is the heaviest rifle gun in this place.  Yesterday afternoon some engineers went over & tried her with shells on the Battery at Sewall's Point & the manner that the shells burst in their camp could not have been very agreeable.  [He is referring to cannonading the Confederate forces who were then stationed on Sewall's Point, Va. ]. The battery is 3 miles from Castle Calhoun & she sent some far beyond the Point.  Our regiment will stay in Fort Monroe until ordered home & perhaps we may be so before our time is out as I hear that the 6 & 8 regiments at Washington have been.   At any rate our time is all most out.  I suppose you are glad of it.  I suppose there will be something doing in Boston enough to get a living.  I must close as it is most mail time.  I should be glad to have a letter from you every day. 

From your own true & loving Husband,  

W.B. Alexander