Petroleum W Va June 20 /65
Co B 74 /regt Penn
Dear Wife & daughter I take
my pen in hand this eavening to let
you know that your Welcom letters
of the 13 & 14 found me well & was glad to here that
you ware all well I Crawford
Just returned from Grafton He was
sent up by us to se a bout
his cuzen But he dident get to
se him he was in the ded house
& they woodent let Crawford in
to see him. they beried him at 4 oclock
yesterday I feel sory that he
died I still thot that he wood of
got well I mis him a good eal
& feal sory for his wife & famely
& his friends at home James Long
is discharged from hospittle & is
on his way home he will have
the purticklers to tel Raders
for he was with henry before he
died there was no [?]ight to get
him imbamed to send home
[page 2]
Neoma you talk like if I dident
yous to think a noughf of you when I
was at home I thot that I always
thot as much of you as eany other man
did think of his wife in marchand
or eny other place You think
that I think more of you now Well
I wood like very well to se you &
Jane & how things looks a bout
marchand But I doant think
eany more of you & Jane then I ever
did but when we ar so far a part
it of corce is more lonesome & [???]
[??] when one is a way from his home
& friends so far as I am & you should
be glad that it has been so fortinet
as it has bean with you that your
husband hasent bean killed in
war like thousands have been
& left without eny thing to live on
But I think it woant be a grate
while before I get hoe & if we
hafto stay our year out & keep our
health to get home I couldent of
[page 3]
don eany thing better Which I
doant think that they will ceep us
longer at the outside more than 2 month
for I have made something in the
operation to bye a piece of land &
we can live more independant for
I will bye a peace of land handy [home?]
likely & Braughlers & if I cant I
likely sell whare we live & by a small
farme some comfortable place
Mary Jane I doant want you
to go crasy or brake you little [???]
to meet me when I come home for
I wood like to se you in your
right senses when I get home
I am a getting a long the best kind
for I have nothing to do but Cook
our our meet & caughfy & eat
James knox & me is cooks this week
he careys the watter & I do the cooking
& we have no ther duty to do But
the trupes has all went over this
road that is a going & they say that
we ar to leave here & go up to wheeling
[page 4]
& if we ar cepp thare We will
be near 2 hundred mile nearer
to home we will be a bout 50 miles
below pitts burgh They might send
us down the ohio river but I think
[hardly?] you wanted to know if you
should put the drawers in the Bee
scapps on the account of there not
swarming right to ceep them from
going off if they have a notion to swarm
they will swarm if the comes [1] is in &
if they have a notion of going off
they will go off any how & you
neadent put the drawers in yet for
while not til the midle of July
& if they will go off it cant be
helped but if I was there I wood
give them a race & fetch them
back I think that they will do
better I want 2 swarms put in
to my bee house. I have 3 pare of
socks but they ar getting midling
tatery but I will try and make them
do me this sumer S.C. Brown is in
Clarks burg now I wood like if he
Could come to us & it wood [????]
more like home I have no doubt but
he is more lonsum then we ar he has
aplied to get a furlow to go home If I
could get 1 I wood like to go along with
him home I will try & get 1 if I can
John W Compton