Knoxville Geo June 10th 1862

Dear Cousin William
I received your kind
letter last Wednesday night and I was very glad to
hear from you indeed and to hear that you was
injoying good health I hope you will continue
to enjoy it so long as you remain in the Army.
we are all well at prsent and doing tolerable well
John is still with us he has not gone yet and I am
in hopes he will not have to go we thought about
the time you left he would be compelled to go
but Governor Brown exempts all Commission officers
and so the Malitia was all that kept him from
going every man in this district subject to
military duty has gone except twelve and they are all
Officers no privates left. we received a letter from
Bud last saturday was a week ago he was not very
well he had been sick for several days but was
on the mend when he wrote I recon you have heard
of the deperate Battle fought near Richmond reports
says the loss was very heavy on both sides but the
Enemies loss heavier than ours the company that
Bud belonged too was in the fight and they lost some
of their men I do not know how many we have been uneasy
about him ever since we heard of the fight but
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we have not heard anything from him yet I think
probably we will hear something from him this eavening John
expects to go to Knoxville and if he hears any thing he
will write it in this letter before it is sealed I am
anxious to hear something more about the fight and
dread to hear it too if we can only hear good from
Bud how thankful we will feel. Cousin William
I did not think in the winter when I was staying
with You and Aunt Eliza that you be in the
army by this time I was sorry when I heard that
you had gone and Aunt left alone Mrs Brazewell
was staying with her when Ma was up there two
weeks ago she promised to stay about a month
longer some of us will go and stay with her
if Lydia or Mary Jane dont go I will go in about
two or three weeks there is too many of us here
for her to have to stay by herself. I gave Miss
Mollie your respicts as you requested and she sends
you hers in return I have not seen Miss Vie in
five or six weeks she is staying down in Bibb
keeping house for her Pa and Henry Mrs Saunders
and Mollie staying up here at their old place
John will finish my letter this after he gets to
Knoxville Ma and the children sends their best
respects to you. Cousin write to us as often as
you can and we will answer every letter if you
are ordered away from Savanah soon write to us and let us know
where you are I am your affectionate cousin Priss McNeice
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P S
Cousin William Bud sent me a pre[se]nt
in his last letter and what do recon it was
it was a black finger ring and I am very proud
of it too he made it himself he cut it out of
a coat button he made it while he was on his
way from Massassa to Yorktown and wore it
unt he sent it to me it is made of gutapocha [1]
I believe this is all the news I have wort writing
this time mine and Mas best wishes for your
future welfare excuse bad writing and spelling
and mistaks of every kind you must write soon
I must quit writing now and goe to weaving
I am with great respect
your affectionate Cousin
Priss McNeice

Dear Cousin As Priss has left me some black
paper to fill I will try to do so I am now in
Knoxville & I have made every endeavor to find out
something from Brother William [2] but without 
any success. He was at Richmond and I suppose
he was in the fight but I cannot hear any thing sat
-isfactory from him in eny way I shall not be at all
surprised if we hear of his being a prisoner if not
Killed for I think if he was not he would
write to us knowing our painful suspense.
I could not hear from you when I wrote so
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I declined going to war at all I was about
to be off with the Bibb Cavalry when Uncle Joe [3]
issued his Proclamation Exempting me and other
Gentlemen from the killing hardships incident
to camp life I thanked him very kindly too
I went to see Miss Sue about three
weeks after I wrote to you and she told me the
word you snet me by Watson, so you was
in Camp long enough before I got the word for
a yank to have gotten your scalp if he
had been sharp Old Sol is getting low and
I am seven miles from home with three or
four letters in my pocket so I must finish
If a yank should get your Scalp or
rob the mail and get this letter I want you
to write and let me know so I mey bring
suit against him for damages sustained
by a defunct relation I must Close
Your affectionate Cousin
John P. McNeice
To W. H. Ivey in Haste