Ala Jackson Co June the 23 1862
Dear mother it is wi[t]h pleasure
that I take my seat to rite
you a fiew lines which leavs me
well at this time hoping
that these fiew lines may reach
your hands in due time and
find you all well I reciev your
letter deated the 12 of July
and was glad to hear from you
I was on the islant at
Bridg port Just a bove whar
the bridg was burned a Sunday
eavning and racievd your letter
and red it and watched the yankes
too we crost the ner prong
of the river and went to the other
prong and thar was yankes
aplenty in a swiming
they talk to us but we ar
not aloud to talk to them
they ar very sasy tell mid
that the island is the best
land he eve Saw if I had
about 20 achors of it in old
Jackson I would not take
les than ten thousan
[page 2]
dollars for it I recievd a
letter from R B Marlow and
B L Catlett the other day
they ar well B L said that
he had not heard any thing
from home in a month
they ar a bout 20 miles a bove
knoxvill but knoxvill is thir
postoffice I want you to rite
to me ofta[n] for you no that if
I cannot Sea nun of you I
like to hear from you
you must not get out of
harte as long as you Can
git bread and meat to eat that
is about all that that we get
unless we by it we may cross
the river in a fiew days and go
over in yankeydom and if
we do we will eat all we can
find so I will rite som to
Caroline mother rite oftin
and tel all to rite to me
I think that it will not
bea long til we can cum
hom to stay I hope it will bea
soon
[page 3]
Dear wife I will rite you a
fiew lines which leavs me
well only my head and
eyes pains me sumtines but
no wors than they did at
home I hope that these lines
will rach your hands in due time
and find you all well I would
like to sea you and tell you all
that I no but can not now
thou I hope that the time
will soon cum and i thin[k] it
wll when I can cum to you
and stay whar I desire to stay
I want you to do the best
you can for your self til I
cum home R A Marlow is
down with the feavor he is he is
no better frank has not ben
able for duty in 3 weeks I want
you to rite to me whether
you have got the money that
I sent to you or not I sent
you forty dollars by John
Burns to hinton
[page 4]
I want to no whether you
have got it or not and I dont
want you to sell the
Cotton til it gits to 18 or 20 cents
for I think that it will bea
25 before spring
rebecors [1] hair looks very natural
but I dream of you and hir oftan
which dos me sum good I will
send rebecker a brade of my
hair to war a round hir little
rist I have had my head
sheard and swaped for a Cap
and you would not no me
tel middleton to rite and all
the nues for I have not got
no letter from him yet
rite soon and rite all the
fun that you can so I must
Close nothing more at presa
ant but remains yours til
death so far well for this
time W. P. Mangum
To L.C. Mangum