Suffolk va
Febuary the 11 the 1862
My dear friends and my dear
Wife and child I Seat My Self down
this morning to in form you that
I Am Well at this time and I
hope that this letter Will find you
all Well Cosin John I wanted
to git A fur low to Come home Next
wedns day morning But things is
turned up so I cant git off But
I will come as soon as I can git off
tell Maw that I got her letter and [1]
it give me great Satis faction to
heare from her Cosin I had rather
See her and daughter than anything [2]
in this world But it is out of my
Power for I cant git A furlow Now
for the yankeys has tuck Ronake
Island and kiled and tuck all
of gen Wises Leageon and tuck
them priseners all But 7 they got
out of the Way and the Enemy got
So Clost to Elizabeth city that
the citazens Burnt the town down
to keep the Ene my from Burning
it down &C:
[page 2]
this Morning Newes Says
that the Enemy has tuck Neas [B?s]
town the Long Roll Beat this morning
and 3 Companys left this morning
to Black Water River to guard that
Place and the rest of the Regment is
Still at Suffolk But I cant say
how long We Will Stay here
If this Regment was to git in to
a battle I think that we would go
in to them Like of dose of Salts
this is a Bully Regment and they
ar keen you ort to Bin here last
Sunday night When our collonel
got the dis patch to move the hole
Regment sat up all nite long
Cooking hooping hollowing and
Shouting the Collonel had to stop
them he told us to keep qiet and
peace able and if we did meet up
with our Enemy then give them cold
Steel of plenty and then Shout and
he Would help us and I Re joice to
See that all though I have a
good Sweet little wife and
daughter a long ways from here
[page 3]
And them I do love Better
than any thing in this World
and I hope to meet them once more
and I hope that god will Be with
them and my Self and in able us to
Meet one time more the Roads is long
the warters ar deep in her Bed once
more I long to Sleep Maw when I lay
down at nite my Bed I Roll from Side
to Side and to think A Bout you it
makes the hear Rise on my head and the
tears drop off my Cheek it is an afffel
thaught to think of Maw told me in
her letter to Remember her Maw
that Will Be my last Rememberance
with me you and daughter When I See
that me and this world has to part o god
Be with you my dear wife Maw I Praid
For you that last time that we parted
I got over in the Road Against Cosin John
Culbertson I praid to god to inable
us to meat again and I feel that god
will in able us to meat again
and If god dos in able us to meet again
I in tend to serve god the Ballance of
my days turn over F Martin
[page 4]
cosins John tell all my Friends
howdy for me and give my Best Respects
to all In quireing friends and tell them
all to rite to me as soon as you all
can cosen I under stood that abigil was
In a famly way I would Be glad to come
hom But I cant come home But I cant John
I want your folks to tend to her for me
If you please and I will satis fy you
for it If I live git doc Mc danel to tend
to her tell Mahaly and famly howdy
for me and polly Black well famly
howdy and William and [reatz?] howdy
and W.P. Molloy famly howdy and
Mother and sister susan and sister sarah
Francis and and Fany and unkle thomas
Coats all howdy for me tell Maw to
or you your self to rite to me if she
gits Bad off to rite to me and I think
that I could git off that way and that
is the only way for me to come for one
or two to sine it and send it rite [and?]
I would give my life to see you all
Maw I am much ablige to you for them
things you sent me I had got me a pair of
Shoes Be fore James anders an had [got?] Back
Nothing more But Remaining your friends un till death
till death Send your letters to Suffolk va
So fair well F Martin to John culbertson
Abbigill martin and mary E martin
this you see Re member mee F M Martin