Decatur Ala, August the 25th [1862]

Dear Mother, I take the present opportunity of writing these few lines to you hoping they may find [you] and Brothers in as good health as the writing of these few lines leaves me in at the present. Thanks be go God for his kind Mercy to us all.

Dear Mother, I mean to inform you that I am going to send you $40.00 (see on the other side [of letter]) by Adames’s Express Company, which will be today.

Also Dear Mother, I mean to inform you that I would have sent it before this, as soon as John gave it to me, but the track and bridges was burned on this road which we are guarding between Corinth and where we are, but now the road is in running order and I will venture it anyway, for money is no use to me here, for we can’t tell what minute we will be called away from here.

Also Dear Mother, I mean to inform you that we didn’t get paid as yet. There is three months pay coming to us and going on the and the same [for] John, and I will go to John and both of us will send our money together home as soon as we get paid.

And also I [am] going down to where he is for a few days to see him, for he has been to see me for 4 days and you don’t know how Happy I felt when I seen him.

Also, dear Mother, I wish you would bring young John home and keep him altogether, for he will do all the chores for you untill some of us comes home ourselves and don’t forget in buying him the boots as I mentioned in the other letter. I suppose you know who I mean – my young John.

So no more at present but write me as soon as you receive the money.

So no more at present from your loving Son
Thomas Hays
Untill death
Write by return of Post, Thomas Hays 51 Regiment Illinois Volunteers, Company G, Cairo, to follow the regiment.

[Added at bottom, regarding the $40.00 from the first page:]
This letter was wrote before, but I did not have a chance to send it. You will see I was only going to send $40.00 in the first place, but I made up my mind to send you $65.00. I am going to see brother John today and as soon as he will get paid, we will send  it & some more.
T. Hayes