Talapoosa Co Ala Nov 15 1863
My Dear darling husband I Seat myself
to answer your kind letter that came to hand
last Mail I was glad to hear from you once
more and to hear that you was well and fat
I would give this world if I had it to see
you once more to see you fat as you are as I
never saw you fleshy in my life we are all
well and the children [are fat?] as pigs we
weighed yesterday I weighed 130 and bab[?] [1]
100 budy 71 and Matty 63 you never saw
chrildren grow as fast as budy and Matty
does baby is the same little old scrap
but is harty as a pig the conexion is
well as common papy has the sore eyes and so
has sister Marys family the rest of the
neighbours are all well John and [????]
got a clear discharge George Pouge says
he is about like he was when he left the
camps he is not gone back yet and [say?] that
he is not going back untell he gets well
Tom Pogue is at home now he looks pale
and bad he is at home on a sick furlough
for forty five days Dear par I will write
to you about the crop we have it all [gathered?]
papy says that there is about [7?]00 bushels of
corn and about 100 of potatoes but if I have
to pay tax on them I will not [???????????]
[page 2]
only at fifty bushels as the neighbours say
that they dont think it is rite for soldiers
wives to give all that they make me and
the chrildren went to the sale last monday
and I never saw things go so high in all
of my life Frank sold 4 [$800?] and Mary sold for
$1000 dollars granny sold for $300 Hertbrooks
bought Frank and Granny the chrildren
bough all of them except them two Dear
par I want you to be certain to write to
me whether you got your cloths and per
vision or not par I would send your
cap if I had the wool to knit it out
of but I have none you must use your
comfort for a cap if you get them I have
paid our blacksmith account it was
$7.65 cents and your tax was $240 I have
brought some salt I recon nearly enough
for to salt my meat provided nothing
happens to the hogs & the sows has not
had pigs yet but it wont be long before
two of them will have pigs I have got
your comfort from Camp Watts it was not
abuse none as I could see I hired Jim
Chapell to go after it I forgot to write to last
week that I had got it home I am looking
for your papy evry day to write to me that
he would be here by the midle of this month
but has not come yet I affraid that something
is the matter with them I would have
come to see you when your clothes went
[page 3]
if I had not looking for pap I hated to go
of[f] when I was looking him but if I
live and nothing happens I will come the
first chance I get Dear par I do not want
you to think the reason that I do not write
to you is because your letters is so lengthy or
so numerous they dont come half often enough
ft for me I would be glad to get one evry
day if I could for that is all of the pleasure
that I see I want you to come home as
soon as you can get off Dear par I am
sorry to read that you are pesterd so about
me but I will try to do the best I can
and if I should not get through it is the
Lord will and I am willing to submit
to it papy say that he will try to hire
a negrowomen if he can get one on living
terms he say that he cant give more than
all of us can make for one but he say that he
will do the best he can for us we want
you to be sure to write when you get
sick so we may come and see you and
wild not to do so if you please budy is
not traded the oxen yet and the
mule for a pony yet the mule suits me
[page 4]
finely for budy can hall wood with her
and the slide he does finely to hall wood
as he does Dear par you must look over
mistakes as it is cold and I have to
write by the fire on my lap an I never
did the like before Dear par I have not
got my wheat sowed yet and I dont know
when I will as I cant hire no one to
do it for me papy has got more to do
than he is able to but I recon that
I can hire uncle Chappell to do it for
me I must come to a close as I have
nearly fill the paper Dear par write
often as you can and if you come
home I will tell you more than I can
write I do want to see you once more
in this life if I could but if we never
meet on this side of the grave let us
live so as to meet in heaven where parting
will be no more Adieu My Dear darling
husband I ever remain your loving wife
untill Death Lydia J Wright