Resacea Gordan Co Ga April the 8 1864
Dear wife I will rite you a fiew lines to let
you no how we ar geting a long this eavning
I am well and doing tolerbl well I have nothing
of intrest to write to you at this time
I will look for a letter from you a Sunday as
I havent mised a sunday in sum time
and I hope I will hear that you ar all well when I
get it I was in hops I wold get a furlow to
cum home and sa you all but thar is no
chance now furlows is plaid out for a while
tho this dos not dishaten me any for I
think I will sea you som day any how and
four or five days is so short when a man is
at home tho I wold bea proud to get to
stay with you that long
this day has bin a day of fasting and prayer
with us I hope it bea well considered
our fast days cumes oftain and prayer but
seldom with the magority of soldiers
I will send T. C and E. L Catlett thir
rings in your letter and tha must write
whether they can war them or not tresseys is red
and lovies is white I will sind you a
balled but I cannot send you the tune
you can lern the song and I will lern you
[page 2]
the tune when I sea you we will go up to
the frunt in a short time I think fo I can
har the Canons evry day and if we was to
mis a fight it augt to bea marked down
you must write often as you can
no more but remains your husban tel
death so far well for the presant

W. P. Mangum
To L. C. Mangum
[page 3]
Song balled

1} Soldiers life is due to me
robs pore girls of thr one harts delight
Causes them for to weep and to mourn
the loss of a soldier so far from his home

2} Darke was the Collar of a true loves hair
hir cheeks was of a lila far
Causes them for to weep and to mourn
the loss of soldier so far from his home

3} Fother fother build me a boat
over the otian I will float
She hails each Captain I say draw near
and then I will inqire for my soldier dear

4} Captain Captain p[r]ay tel me
dos my sweet hart dwell with the
tel me qick for it will give me Joy
to hear once more from my s[w]eet soldier boy

5} No no no my dear little mis
he got killed in a battle my dear
at manases Junction as I pased by
thar I left your true love lie

6} She stove hir boat a pon a rock
I thought this ladies hart was broke
she rang hir hands in to hir har
Just like a lady in dispar

7} She caled for a Chear to set hir down
a pen and ink for to write it down
at the of evry line she droped a tear
and at the end of each vierce Cried o my dear

8} Fother fother dig my grave
dig my grave both deep and wide
dig my grave both wide and deep
a marble at my head and feet

And on my brest plase a turtle dove
to sho to the world I died for love

April the 8 1864
The Soldier boy