Camp 9 miles South west of Petersburg
Jan the 19th 1865
dear Companion I Sete my Self to write
you a few lines to let you no that I
am well and do hope these few lines
may find you all well and doing
well I can Say to you that I hant
had a letter from you since the one
that Hiram fetch and I dont no
if you get my letters or not I write
one every week and Some times two
and I dont get one in three weeks from
you but I think you write oftiner but
I dont get them but I want you to ceep
writing I reccon you will get this letter
I send it by hand Harison Craver
ses he will take it and Send it to you
he has a ferlow and I hope it wont
be long til I can com hom my Self in
pese it is though[t] that tha will be pese
be fore long and I think tha had
better try and make pese be fore Spring
for the men is runing a way ever
day or night more or les and Some
goes home and Som to the yankeys
tha avredg a bout one houndred
a night
[page 2]
and in the Spring tha will all
leve or nearly all I think tha is
a talk here in the army that old
N C is going back in the union
and I hope it will I think this war
will hav to Stope before long for
the rashions is nearly giv out tha
ar put up to it the hardist Sort to
get enough to keep us a live we
Suffer for som thing to ete I wold
like to get a little somthing to ete
from hom if you See andy chance to
Send me any any time in the next
month for a bout Spring I am
a going to try to get home or some
where elce tha cant cock crow over me
any longer than then if I dont hav
no bad luck but I think I will
get home tel dock he must fix
for a crop for I hope I can help him
tend it next Summer I think I
could do rite Smart of work yet
if I was at hom I hav got to be
tolerble Stout a gain and I
[page 3]
want to no if dock has ever got
his little knife that I Sent him
and if he has I want him to See
if he can keep it til I get home
and that money that I Sent home
I want the old man to take it
and pay the warner note if he can
that is if you hav got it yet and can
spar it and if he cant pay that
note pay som of the other depts
if he can and if he cant pay my
depts with it tel hime to buy
Something for it if he can that
will do some good dont keep the
money for it wont be worth a
cent in three months from
now try and Spend it for som
thing if he cant pay my depts
with it tel him to to do the best he
can with it and it will Sute me
and write to me and let me no
what you hav don with the money
and you ware them shous and
you can ware that coat in the plase
of a Josy [1] if you want it and if
[page 4]
you want to ware it you may
keep it or do with it what you
plese and I want to no if you
think you will hav feede enough
for your Stock or not and how
tha look and if tha ar all alive
yet or not you never rote how
much molases you made nor noth
ing about it I can tel you that
I always like to here hou you geting
a long and how our little Stock
is doing for I am Stil in hops
of geting home a gain Some
time a nother but the time
Seems mity long I do want
to See you and dock and little
Jane and all of my folks vary
much but I hav to bare it a
while yet but I dont think it
will last much longer be fore
the thing will wind up So I will
close by hoping to here from you all soon
yours truly Jesse Hill
to Emoline Hill