Civil War Letter from an Engineer named John to his Son

Description

Condition as seen,     Civil War letter from an Engineer;  US Engineer Camp, Franklin Aug 1st,  to Clarence H, I am in my tent and I thought that I promised to rite to you so I know you would expect a letter from Father.  I do not forget you and think about you every day.  I wonder how big you have grown?  When I see any boy as big as I think you are I ask him how old he is, so you see Father thinks about his boys at home and little Clara.  Father wants to see his curley headed kids, kiss her  for Father, tell John Father wants to see him.  I suppose he calls himself quite a man by this time.  I have been to work today at Fort Dupont it is about three miles from our camp.  We will ride when we do away from the camp, we had four mules to ride with today.  I suppose you would like to ride too in a mule team.  They have large ears we ride home to the camp to get our dinner and back so you and John would like that.  We have fifty horses and a lot of mules here and lots of army wagons.  They all have brakes on them like the cars because the hills are very steep on the military roads.  I have just lit my candle in my tent.  I do not have any gun now there is lots of cats and dogs here.  I went to a Negro meeting last Sunday night.  I guess you and john would like to have been there.  Now Clarence I will tell you what we have had to eat today.  This morning for breakfast we had bread and good ham and apple saus for dinner, pork and cabbage and potatoes and bread.  For Supper we had bake beans and bread and ham and apple saus and cakes the same as mam bakes that is good supper enough for any one.  Don't you think so Clarence, we have nice coffee too that is the difference between Soldiers and Engineers grub.  What makes so much difference because the Soldiers are cheated out of what belongs to him.  It rains hard now it is a shower now, I will say good luck to you all at home and make up my bunk and go to sleep.
Aug 2 it is a fine day and hot enough for butter flyes.  Clarence there is a blacksmith shop here, we have to a well here where we get our water it has got a frame built up over it and a grate wheel in the top and a rope goes over the wheel
with a bucket on each end where one is up and the other down. That is the way we get our water.  I have been at work in the camp this fornoon, some of us stay at the camp every day, one of the mules kicked a teamster this morning and hurt him very bad so you see that mules can kick.  I am well and I hope this will find you all well at home.  You must let Mam read this I guess I shall not write again till Sunday.  Now don't you think that Father has roat you quite a long letter.  Clarence now good luck to you and Mam and Curley yours ever John"
I believe this is an African American man either working for the Engineers or part of the Engineers.  He clearly is a laborer by what he writes and that he attended a "Negroe Meeting" says he must be one. Fort Dupont around Washington was built in 1862.  Unfortunately we do not know where he was writing to or what his full name was.  Interesting letter.