Addressed to:  Mr. John J. McCalmont, Walker, Centre Co. Penna. Envelope has a bust of George Washington and the following text:  A Southern Man! With Union Principles.

Stationary has a bust of Maj. Gen. McClellan.  

Camp Beaver, Oct 2nd- Respected Cousin, It is with pleasure that I seat myself to answer your welcome letter that I received on last Tuesday evening.  I was much pleased to receive your ___ letter.  We are all well and very well contented.  We all like the business first rate.  We have lots of fun and plenty to eat.  We get plenty of soft bread.  We have not been getting any crackers lately.  We have just been having a splendid dinner.  We had fresh beef fried and made thick gravy over it , had boiled potatoes, good tea, molasses.  I bought a pint of cream for our tea.  We had a tip top dinner.  I wish you had been here to eat with us.  We take it turn about cooking, we are all good cooks.  At first it went very awkward for me but I am getting used to it.  Now well, John, we have to drill a little now and then.  We had at first I will try to give you a list of our duties.  We have to get up at five o'clock.  The first thing is roll call then some of us has to pack our napsacks and police our streets.  The others cook breakfast.  We have to pack up every morning ready to move at a minute's warning.  Have to have breakfast over again 15 minutes before seven o'clock.  At seven we go out on Company drill one hour, come in, clean our guns, then the guard is mounted at nine o'clock.  Then at ten, we go out on Battallion drill and drill till eleven.  Then we take dinner and go out at 2 o'clock on Battallion drill till four o'clock.  Then we come in, cook and eat supper, go out on dress parade at 5:30 pm.  That is the amount of our days work.  I wish you were here with us.  It is not as pleasant as being at home, but it is for a good cause that we are here and I think it is the duty of everyone that can leave home to come and help to crush this Ungodly Rebellion.  Well, John, I suppose the times are very dull about home.  Now I suppose that you don't have many parties yet I have just received a letter from home written by Maggie.  Was very happy to hear from home.  Will Thomas received 2 from home, one from his sister Jane and one from your sister, Maggie.  He was very much pleased to hear from you all.   John, I am very glad that you are going to come to see us.  We will try and use you the best we can.  But you had better come as soon as you can for we expect to leave this as soon as the Regiment is full.  There was 2 men started for Centre this morning to recruit for this Regiment.  Well John, I suppose that Sue McKee has got a bed fellow before this time.  I wish her success.  Well John, do you practice the old Seminary School truck very much.  Will Smyth received a letter from home, one from Susan this evening.  John, tell them when he comes to Illes (?), bring me a couple of flannel and one fine white shirts with him for me and you boys can bring about a thousand cigars with you and make a present of them to us.  We smoke the pipe here, if you come down, we will let you have a puff for nothing.  We have heard some very good news from the Army this evening.  It is that Gen. Lee's whole Army have joined the Union Army.  I do not say it is true, but hope it is.  I must draw this scibble to a close, excuse this for I have to write with the paper lying on my knee.  Give my love to all of your family and yourself and all inquiring friends.  

From your cousin, James S. Beck

Post Script in Margins-Write soon and give me all the news.  There was a company from Brush Valley here was received twenty-two hundred pounds of eatables from home:  a barrel of apple butter, a barrel of white butter, many other things

Notes on individuals whose names appear in document:

John J. McCalmont is the son of William Scott McCalmont and the brother of my great-great grandmother, Margaret Laird McCalmont.  Though the year the letter was written isn't identified, it was obviously written before John J. had joined the Union Army and prior to the death of his father, William Scott.  John was attending Seminary School at this time.

Maggie is Margaret Laird McCalmont,  my 2nd great grandmother.

The McKee family are the writer's first cousins.  Susan McKee is either the wife of James Beck's first cousin, George, or she is another cousin not listed in my records.

Will Smyth is the letter writer's and letter recipient's first cousin.  

James S. Beck is the first cousin of John J. McCalmont and Margaret Laird McCalmont.  His mother, Mary Guilford McCalmont, is sister to William Scott McCalmont.  Her husband, John Beck, owned a store in Centre Co. PA