Tallapoosa Co Ala April th 3 1864
My Dear husband I seat my self this lone some
sabbath eavening to answer your most kind and
affectionate letters that come to hand yesterday
bearing date of the 27 of last month I was glad
to hear from you once more this side of the grave
this leaves the chrildren well I am not well I have
avery bad cold and coughft but am up all of the time
I am weak and poor but the reason of that is suck
ling our big boy he is spolt rite bad Aunt Chappell
says that she wants you to get afurlow and come home to
see him for he is just like you all but his nose it is like
mine the rest of the chrildren grows as fast as they can I [have?]
stop the chrildren from school to help me bud did not
like to go to Gorge I wanted him to help to see to the
things they learn at home and help me too Matty
spins her hank evrry day and says four lessons
a day I thought it was better to do it than to let
them go there and learn so much badness if I done
wrong by stoping them I want you to write to me
Dear Pa I got a letter from Neal last week he
wrote that he was in fine health I also got one
from your papy he sayed that he was well but
Mar was quite sick he wrote that was the reason
that he could not come before summer Dear Pa
I cant write to you like I could talk to you I see
[page 2]
more trouble than I can express the government has
taken 12 ½ bushels of corn and 100 lbs of fodder and 100 lbs
of meat it is mighty hard to take out of our chrildren
mouth to give to some grand rascal but it may be
fare one day wont be always they want the [?????] wool but I
have made cloth out ov it and they say that they will
double tax me for it you wrote for me and papy to
come to see you I want to come but I cant get nobody
to come with me papy says that it is out of his power
to come as he has to hall the govenment stuff to
Tallasa he is nearly pestered out of his life about the
way they have done me about my govern ment stuff they
wont let me draw nothing but money and salt Dear Pa
you wanted me to bring you some cloths but there is
no chance for me to come if you have any thing that you want
to send home you can box them up and send them
to Montgumry and write me word and I will send after
them you wanted my advise about reinlisting you know
the hardships of a camp life but Dear Pa do the best you
can I want to see you worse now than ever there is
not much satisfaction in this life for me if it was not
for my chrildren I would be a miserable creature on earth
there is a great many soldiers comeing home now I wish
you could come home I will give you some of there names
ED Pogue John Plunket Ell Macmanus Calop Lambert
and John Adamson he looks as well or better than I ever
saw him he told me to give you his love and he wanted to
see you very bad Eliza Jordan and her old man is [part??]
[rest of letter missing]