[1] Camp Lee August 28th 1864

Ny dear wife,
Your very welcome letter
of 18th inst has been received, and it
afforded me great satisfaction to hear
that you were all well. this leaves me in
entirely well as you will see by the
heading of this I am still at Camp
Lee. have not heard from my papers
yet and am unable to say when I will
hear. I dont want you to get the wheat
of Mr Bugg. I know you can get it of
Mr Elliot or Mr Parmer or some
other person around cheaper that thirty
dollars. I received the things you sent
me by brother John all right. I want
you to send me a chicken or two by
William Collins when he comes back. I
[????] able to say when it will be back
home. I would like above all things on
earth to be at home with you and our
dear little children, but you know it is
not in my power to come at my pleasure
and I will have to submit to be separated
from you all the best I can, but I hope
[page 2]
it will not be long before I can come home
to go to war no more. There is considerable
talk around here about peace being made
shortly, but I dont know how true it is I
hope it is so. I get plenty to eat such as
it is, corn bread fat bacon a few peas &
a little salt. there are about two hundred
conscripts here now, they are coming in
and being sent off every day. about forty
were sent off to different regiments yester
day, and tomorrow (Monday) I reckon they
will send off as many more, The come
in about as fast as they are sent off, so
that we generally have about the same
number here, The most of the men
keep their spirits up pretty well, When
you write tell me if you have ver heard any
thing of Nathan yet. I saw Elisha Hunley
in Richmond some time ago. he was goint
down into North Carolina I told him to
get him for me if could find him I
have not heard wheather he found him
or not. Write to me directly you get this
give my love to our little children and
all our kin and my respects to our
neighbors. good bye Your husband
E. V. Lane