Washington
June 14 1864

Dearest mother

I am not feeling very well these days—the doctors have told me not to come inside the hospitals for the present—I send there by a friend every day, I send things & aid to some cases I know, & hear from there also, but I do not go myself at present—it is probable that the hospital poison has affected my system, & I find it worse than I calculated—I have spells of faintness & very bad feeling in my head, fullness & pain—& besides sore throat—my boarding place, 502 Pennsylvania av, is a miserable place, very bad air—But I shall feel better soon, I know—the doctors say it will pass over—they have long told me I was going in too strong—some days I think it has all gone & I feel well again, but in a few hours I have a spell again—

Mother, I have not heard any thing of the 51st—I sent George's letter to Han—I have written to George since—I shall write again to him in a day or two—if Mary comes home tell her I sent her my love—if I dont feel better before the end of this week or beginning of next, I may come home for a week or fortnight for a change—the rumor is very strong here that Grant is over the James river on south side—but it is not in the papers—we are having quite cool weather here—Mother, I want to see you & Jeff so much—I have been working a little at copying, but have stopt it lately—

Walt