1862
Virginia Gordanville July the 20th
Dear and beloved wife I this Day
Seat my Self to rite to you
to inform you that I am in
Common helth at this time
hoping that those few lins
may Come to hand and find
you and Children all well
and Doing well I have Been
in good helth ever Since I
left home exscept my
right leg it is Sweld alittle
at present it was Cosed by
marching I think we ar about
75 miles from Richmond to Day
and we may be orderd
away Bee fore Nite we will
leave hear tomorrow Any how
But I Do Not know where we
will go when we leave hear
thar is great talk of fighting
hear Now ther was alittle
Skirmish hear two days ago
but we Never got hear tell
last Nite I waunt to see
[page 2]
you and the children mity
Bad and if I was with you
you I would Stay ther
Shure ther will Never Bee
Nothing elce But war as
long as ther is men enuf to
keep it up unless the Suthern
people fails to make Any thing
to of feed the army on this
is the 4th or 5th letter that I have
rote to you and I wount
you to bee shure to rite to me
and rite all the Newes and
rite what you hade to pay
for Corn what you By and ef
any thing has hapend to you
or Any of the children I wount
you to rite it to me rite
what wheat is worth and Bacon
times is hard here and things is
verry hy I would give every
thing that I have got to go home
and stay with you and the
children ther aint Nary our
in the Day But what I
[page 3]
think of you and my Dear children
and I hope that the time will
Soon Come when we may meat
again and to stay to gether til
Death I hope that the lord may
help you and stand by you
[??] and give you Strength to
Bar your trubbles and trials
and I wount you to pray to
the lord that he may guide
A you when you to Do rong and
I waunt you to remember me
in your prars and I pray
that the lord may Stand
By you and my children in
Sickness and in helth and
that he mey Stan bee with
you all thrugh the jorny of
life and when you ar
Done with the trubbles
of this world I hope that
he may take you to
that Bright world above where
you may [1]
rest for ever more
[page 4]
and if we meat on this erth
No more i hope that we may
meat in heaven above wher
parting will bee No more I
Shal have to Close for the present
the helth of our Company is
not very good at present
we left 3 of our Company at
richmond and we left 11 at
luezer Courthouse Wm Robinson [2]
is well and Doing well
G. W. Turner is well at
present exscept the Dierah So I when you rite to me
direct your letter to Richmond
virgina E.B. Coggin
Care of of J.F. Forgerson Com [3]
th 47th Ala Regt vol
under Stonewall Jackson

So good By for this time
till the children all hawda
for me E B. Coggin to his
wife Ann E. Coggin at
at home