Georgia Dalton Mar,, the 4 th 1864
Dere wife & Children I take the presant oppertunaty to rite
you a few lines I am well at presant I hope thes few lines
may fiend you and our dier little Children well I havent nothing
To rite to you that wold inturest you at this time I recivd your
letter on the 2nd inst. And I was truly Glad to hier from
you and the Children. I have drawn me a nother short Coat John
Haile have drawn A furlought and I will send him my Coverlid
I want you to rite to me often as you Can by fore I am pesterd
so in my miend that I Cant rite to you what I wanto rite the
letter that I Got from Ben martian you equested me to send
it to you I Can say to you that I was mad when I Got the
Letter and I Burnt it up rite off I want you to rite
to me in full what Ben said to you i want to know fore it
wold be a Great satesfactinon fore me to know I rote to
Ben martion that I had as mutch of the Confederit money
as I wanted to spend and if I did want to sell that tha
Was plenty of other men that wold Give me as mutch as him
and Jest as Good money as his and I rot to him that I never
wold sell my land not my life time nore yourn nore our
Children life time and I dident Care if he had bought
land all around me that he Couldent Get my land and that
I node that him and the old man Martion went five time
to to tri to take a underminding turn one me bacaus
I wasant at home and I rote to him that he wold never
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Get my land unles he bought it at a publick sail after
me and you was ded and then I wold have as Good a Chance
to buy hism as he wold mine I rote him a
letter a Corden as he rot to me a Cordin the way I rote
to him I dont think that he will to me nare
onther letter the resen that I will send my Coverlid
I have Got one a nother blankett and I will send a
pare of drawers and A pare of socks the resan that I
will send them I dont want the yankees to Get them
you rote to me that you herd that we was a Going to
tennesee we are still at Dolton yet we onley went up
to the tunell hill to the fight I think that we will
stay here the balance of the winter on the 25 th of this
Month we was orded in to battel line the prospect
of a big fight but we run the yankees and tha went
Of in dubill quick and the next nite we stud picket
over one the other side of ther brest works I am in
heres the time will sune Come when we will
be togather and we will not hafto rite to each other
our news I want you to rite to me often tell you Get
out of the Condishion that you are in now I want to see
you mity bad tha have bin maikeing out payroals and
I think that we will draw money before long 2 months wages
we dont draw nothing her to eat I want you to send me somthing
to eat by John hail I will quit Willburn Thompson
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and I will send you a
By John haile in this letter