July 17 1864
camp 2 ½ miles from Atlanta

Dear Frankey I seat my self with pleasure to drop
you a few lines which will show to you that
I am as well as common hoping theas lines will
reach you in due time and find you in the best
of health I have not reced 3 letters from you
Sence I left home I want you to write onst
a week any how if you pleas I got one from Patsy
and one from Peggey and Hager I want you
and all the rest to write to me every chance
Peggey and Hager and every body in the
Settlement tell Tom and little Jim to write to
me for it is a great Satisfaction to git letters from
Home Franky I want you to write whether you
Have got well or not Franky I want you to doo
what you said you would doo and I will doo the
Same as long as you have any thing dont suffer
for any thing you want I will come home as soon
as I can but I dont see when that will be I started
you a letter Day before yesterday by
Capt James W Paine with 5 Stamps in it
I want you to write how the horsses look and
take as good cear of them as you can if tha git
to pressing cattle about there Kill and eat the
Steers before you let them go But doo what
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you think best with them I want to no how the
corn and every thing elce looks Franky tha is
lots of men here and there familys on the other Side
of the yankee lines but if tha ever pass by where
you live I am a cumin home we are 4 miles
from the yankys and Johnsons men between us
and them Franky the 3 day of July we dug
ditches and the 4 day in the eavning the
yanks com and we had a powful scrape but
me nor Press dident fire a gun we was powful
bad Sceard and the next mor[n]ing we fell
back 2 miles after lying in the ditches all night
and in the eavning the yanks fired on us agan
and me and Press was detaild to go out on
skermish to bring on the battle we had to go about
half mile and the yanks commenst firen and the
bullets to whistlen [???] we couldnt see them ther
read was so thick and we run back you need not
be uneasy about me if you can help it I dont
think war can last much longer I have seen
big fields of corn and wheat full of horses [???]
[?????] it [looks?] like the people would Starve
to death [?????] nothing elce will bring peace
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starvation will and that before long I want you
to write and dont be a Shamed to tell hoo writes
for you what you want them to write if you cant
get paper to write I want to Know it and I will buy
it hear and send it to you we get corne meal and
Bacon plenty to eat but I hat rether be at home and
Eat with you I want to see you very bad today
I Dreamed I saw you last night th[?] I am
nocking along tolerable well I have a perty
good Stomac to eat my bread Press and biley
Smith Bakes it the Balance of the Militia is
Called tell Jesse Pritchett if has to go to come
hear as I think the Militia will fare a little the
best you wrote to me not to runaway that was
good advice I have never had any notion of it
yet if it is gods will for me to come home I want
to come right I Saw Chess the other day he
was well and harty he Said he had not Stole
nothing yet Sence the war commenst he Said
he wanted to see his wife and children mity
bad I Saw Marion Banks he had some coffee
he got from the yankeys I Drank some of it
and it tasted mity good I want you to take
good cear of little Jim I want to see him
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mity bad dont let him Suffer for an thing to
eat as long as you have got any thing tell
Pats and Lis and Bets I want them to doo
rite and old Johnny too I want you to have
this red to old Johnny and tell him to write
to me write whether you have got that money from
Bill Keeslers wife or not tell little John Payne
if he has to go to the war to come heare tell
White to write to me I am afrade he has forgot
me I want to no if John Doo and little John
is gon to the war of not tell John Poe I am
well and for him to write to me tell John
Beaird I want to see him and hear him holler
one more time and John I want you to doo right
I want you to go to that good place where there
is no wars Franky I am a going to try to doo
right and I want you to doo the Same I think
it is true for every body to try for this is a terable
time I want you to pray for me earnstly
if it should hapen that we dont meet no more
on this world I want us to meet where parting
is nomore may may god Bless you for ever
your Husband untel Death Jim Wadkins