Manasses Junction Oct the 26th 1861

My Dearly belovid wife
i Seet my self
to answer your most kind and affectionate
letter that i recieved late yestarday
evening for which i cant tel you how
glad an how thankful i was to hear from
you i had not hird a word from you since
Bolin came to us which all most Seemed
to me a years lenth when i saw my pore
little boys hair i prest it to my li[?]s an
teers floed that i cold not read
for sum time i Shold wrote to you long before
now but sum four weakes a go i was taken
doun Sick with the inflammation of the
bowles an my officers sent me up to
Richmond to the hospitle an i got back
to camps yesterday but as your kind an
lovly letter came in and my dear
i cant tell you how [???] i was my dar
ling if i only cold tell you had bad i want
to see you an my dear little children i no
that you would bee Sorry for me tears
dims my eyes so i can hardley write
[page 2]
my dear
i want you to write to me as soon as you
get this an Send me Sum of the babys
hair an write me word whether you git
my letters or no this letter leaves me an
boys well an harty an god almighty grant
that it may find you the Same i will
now tell you a bout my Stay at richmond
when i got thear i was so weake an feeble
it Seemed to me that i Shold die but
with the blessing of god an the attention
of Sum kind frinds who cam in to See the
that sick who came from georgia
tha came to my bed ast my name an whear
i was from i told them an tha ast me
if i wold like for them to bring me Sum
nurishment Such as i cold eat i told
them i wold bee very thankful an tha
came every day an brought me Somthing
to eat an nursed me like i had bin
thear father an ast me if i had a
family i told them an tha wold often
aske after you an the children an tha
ast me when i wrote to you to remember them to
you an give you thear best respects
an when i left thear tha gave me a
nis pair of wool Socks
[page 3]
an told me if i ever came to richmond
again i must write to them those
friends was two gentlemen an a thear
wives and is name blakey an the other
ones name is walch tha air virginea people but
tha ware so kind to me as tha cold bee
my dear i lay thear on my little straw bed
an thought of my dear wife an children
an how tenderly you wold have taken
car of me if onley i bin with you an
teers wold stream out of my eyes and
i could not helpe it but under all those
trying seans i besaught the god of mercy
to bless an take care of you an bring us
all to gether again my dear i remember you
in my prares to god every day an i dont
want you to forget your husband an boys
and oh may our prars write to gether an
assende to a throne of grace an bee
anserd in our behalf i want you to join
with me an help me prais the lord
for his goodness an tender mercy to
us thear is strong hops of our comming
home this side of christmas John has got
a fine brest pin an finger ring
is going to send you by the first chance
[page 4]
my darling i dont want you to worke
So hard the very first Safe chance i git
i will Send you money enuf with out
your working So hard i have got all the
Clothing that you Sent me an too more
blankits a pece for me an the boys i must
now com to a close but i hardly no how
to Stop talking with you but i hop to See
you before a great while i want you
to tell the two churches in haynvill i
have not forgoten them nor never Shall
as long as live tell them i love them
both an tell them i want them while
we air hear child with the cold bleake wind
in the battle field i want them to
remember us at a throne of grace
that god may Stand by us an keep us
by the power of his love might thro
faith unto Savation darling pleas
write Soon an Send me Som of the
babes hair fairwell my dear til i
meet you again i remain your
loving husband
J H Everett