Yesterday I received your No 44.  Yesterday, it was a surprise as I had made a mistake in the Nos & thought I had received all the back Nos.  The latest date I have from you is the note of Oct 30 sent with Austins, I am anxious to hear from you.  We have received papers from Chicago in five day, since the election.  Why is it that the mails are so slow.  There are at least two letters due me from you.  But we must learn to wait with patience. 
We have glorious news from the north, Union victories every where [illegible] Deleware, N Jersey & Kentucky, such a unanimous victory over the enemies of freedom has never been won before, Such a victory at such a time is verry cheering to us in the field.  This is a rainy gloomy day.  We have had some quite hard rains within the the past three weeks, & some quite cold weather.  Though the ground has not frozen more than two inches, but after having spent the summer in Louisiana the cold is the more severe, I don't know how we could stand such winters as you have in Iowa.  I hope we may have an opprtunity to try it next winter, I would be willing to risk it even now if the war was over.  I have some hope that when the Southern people see the unanimity with which the people of the North support the administration & the cheerful support of the soldiers, and their expressed determination to put down the rebellion at the point of the bayonet at all hazzards, all this
