Richmond v.a. August the .23. 1863
Dear wife and child
it is with plasure that I Seat my Self to informe
you that I am well and got hear Safe I
hope and pray that whin theas lines cumes
to your loving hands that tha may find you and
my little Sweet darling babe well Margret
I have live with you and my little babe for
the last 3 weeks but now I am deprived of
the pleasure of being with you but my hart
and mind is with you and my ondly child
on earth but I hope and trust and pray
that God will alow us to meet on earth a
gain to live together and low us the privlidge
of rasing our little Son oh what a pleasure
it would be to mea to be aloud that privlidge
to live with you and my little Sweet babe
tha would not be any end to my hapyness
may the lord grant it I hope and pray he
will Margret God has tuck one of our little
babs from us hee loved it and hee has blest
it and its toung is clamering in heaven
I imagin that I can see her around Gods
throne Margret Margrt Margret our
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Sweet litle Luellar is gon where wee will
see her no more on earth wee are deprived of her
little clamering toung and her bautiful countiness
Margret I cant help but grive for one I loved so
well and thout so mutch of tha is no mor pleasure
formea as long as I am kep a way from home
I no the best thing for mea is not to Study a bout
my little gal but how can I help it I have
nothing that plases mea hear to look at if I was
with you and my little babe it would be some
injoyment to mea but as it is I can ondly study
about the loss of a dauter and the absents
of a loving and a kind wife and little Son but
I hope God will Spair us and let us live toGether on
earth and live in the way that wee Should live
and rais our little Son in the way it should be
raised and whin wee should be taken that wee
may meet our little darling luler there never
no more to part Margret pray for mea
and I will pray for you and my little babe
oh bless his little Sole love him and be
tinder with him and try to content your
Self the best you can for I feald like
I would be Spaird to meet you on earth
a gain
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Margret I sean John Deaven port as I cum [1]
from Laurens to Nubeary hee cum down that
for hee toled mea hee would let mea have
his bottomes hee did not [?]o what hee would
take for them I think that hee will take that
1500 00 dolares for them if hee will take that
I will give it from the way hee talked to [?]
he will take that hee toled mea that hee
let mea have them cheaper than anybody
els and if hee will take that or less I think
wee had better Get them for land will keep
rising I toled him to go to your pap and
tell him what hee will take for them and
if tha can be bout for 1500 00 or in a bout
there tell him to Sel my cotton if hee
can Get 40 cts for it and Get the bottomes
for tha cant never be bout any cheaper and I
will Sind my note for the balance of the
money if I Should be Spaird to live I can
pay the balance if I remain detailed I can
and keep well I can pay for them in one
year and if I should be cold back to the
fealed I supose I could no pay for them untill
I cum home provided I should be spaird
but I think I could make the money in
one or two years on them
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a short time harvy Anderson toled mea
for mea to rite to the boss for him to give
him the money and hee would Sind it
to you and I will rite to the boss to hand
the money to harvy and I think hee will
do it I cum by and sean I. W. Godfrey hee
is complaing with the panes hee is not
satisfide a tall I staid all nite with him
the cars run off between columbia a charlet
and tore the running gear all to peases no
body got hert tha had to Sind after another
car I did not Get hear untill Thursday eavning
the captin toled mea that hee did not
blame me for staying over my time and
wanted to no the resan why I did not cum
by charleston and see the fight I told him
I was a fraid hee would think hard of mea fore
staying so long over my time hee sed hee
would not thout hart of mea if I had of
nod hee would not Get mad I would of staid
with you and my little babe another week
but I did not no it untill I cum back tho
maby I can Get to cum back the soner by
cuming whine I did