New port News September the 16 [1]
Dear Wife i sat down to drop
you a few lines to in form you
Hou my Health is at Present
my health is Just midlin for i have
no peace no more my thoughts is about
home all the time Wondering if you
are Well i herd aron had the small
Smaw Pocks and that makes me
feel verry bad now I am afraid
that you Will git them and
leave me fore ever and ever
but if you git them rite to me
rite a way and Send me money
With the express But no erther Way
for it is not as Safe as it is by
express take it in to mashes at
Halfax and further my Dear Wife
if you Care send me tobacgo and
letter paper in velopes Post stamps
and my boots in a box fore me
[Page 2]
if you Can Pay the frait for it to
mash for i have nomore money for
to pay the frait if you Cant pay
for it there send me money by
express be fore the box about 3 or 4
days i don’t know how sune i Will
git my money and When i git
it i Will send it home to you
my love And further i have
Commenced prayer meeting in our
Camp i have bene in it every
night praying for youence and my
Self We have only got our preacher
now to Preach to us it is mr davis
When i rote this letter to you
i had to cry the tears flowed
from my ies for to see you once
more my Dear Wife send my
best respecks to dunkels and
John Sweigards As sune as
Can if you [are?] think of this
butter is 50 cts for one pound
[Page 3]
and 5 cts for 1 candle and
one dollar for a plug of tobacgo
molassas 25 cts a quart chese 20 cts
a pound sugar 15 cts Bread 5
cts a lofe if We Would not
by Some bread Some times
We Would not git enough half
of the time for We git nomore
Crackers sence We are here our
meet We git is not good most
of the time fresh beef once A
Week only one lofe of bread
in a day Coffee 3 times a day
suger 2 aday no potatos a tall
no more about this at present
but further we git no snow
here but in the day time it
is verry hot and at night
verry Cold but i sleep nise
and Warm at nighe last sun
day a lot of our Company
Went to a reble ho[u]se and got
[Page 4]
of presimons they are as large here
as a Walnut apples are 2 for
fife cts the peach trees are
in buds all ready they Will
git blosom before long it is
very level here Where Wee are
i think Wee will stay here
a Wile yet Wee have a verry
good Bed in our tent i
Went out in the Woods one
Day and picked too Bundles of
verry good grass it is verry
dry my love i Want you
to favour me in this thing
and that is this rite to
me every Week to me so
i Will have more peace to
live here and another thing
my dear do pray dont for git
it and With a true heart
if i git money sune in about
one month i Will try to Come
home if i Can git furlow from
our Cernell for 20 days i do
dream A bout you so offen
at night and that is the reas
on i Cant rest no more the
small pocks is here Where i
Am now there is to persons
has them now