I got Cornelia Ann to rite this to get her to practice and try to learn to write

Longacre November 30 1864 my dear pa I take the pleasure to wright
you a few lines to let you a few lines know that I am well at present
and I hop that these few lines may find you the same blesing we are all
well mary etter can run all about and she can allmost talk Henry knows nearly
all of his letters . all the neighbors are well I beleive around father Boyd has ben very sick
since you went away the yankes has not ben out here yet but I dont know
how soon they may be and I hope that i may never see another one
I want you to writght as soon as you get this and you must come as soon as
you can for we all want to see you bad i Would like to have
some of your sugar and coffe and Olivia and Henry
say they had rather have some candy than to
have the sugar and coffe and I Want you to bring
me a breast pin if you pleas if it dose not cost too
much if you can get a furlow to come home
and I hope that you can for I want to
se you the Worst of eny bodey in this World I no
aunt mary ormond has not ben up here since you
went of she received your letter and the last I heard
from her she had not found our how to Back it
I must come to a close by saying good by Cornelia .A. Bowen
[page 2]
I should of writen a few days sooner I thought I should hear some news
william is carting Rhodah corn from the dismel I feel a great deal better satsfi[de]
than I did when I rote before the yankees hasent troubled many folks yet
they went to Arnolds to get furniture that was reported that he hawled
out when the town fel in april I rote to you he come home pertending to get
a horse to join the calvery and the yankees had got here while he was gone
and his family you know is very helpless so he dident go back well they went thar
So instead of doing what they were sent after they went to plundering
the house so aunt Betsy had her specia in a matteras they come so close
to it she thought they would find it she caught it to put it in her
pocket and they snached it away from her and she got down on
her nees and beged them and cryed to them and they gave her back
11 dollars they took all of her rocken chars and all of arnolds cloths
and several other things but aunt Betsey wen to town and got back
all but 8 dollars in specia and some sumer clothes and was to have
them when they were found they arnold wasent at home they told
her if he dident report to them they would burn every thing they had
so he went and they ast him if he had come as a prisner or a deserter he told them
he had come as a distrest conscrip they ast him several other questions
and told him if he could prove himself clear of carting furniture out
of town he was clear so he got a parsel of wimen and proved him
clear so they dident do aney thing more with him also went to Asa
gaylord and took 8 barrels of corn and questioned him about his loyelty
and some chickins and took tom long working tools they served old
man John Lathum rite bad when they first come to town his wife wasent
at home and he was sick and deaf and when they talked to him he dident
answer them they thought he was stubern and they draged him to the fort
it is thought they wont bother the people only whar they are reported I havent
heard of thar taking aney soldier yet they havent got no force yet only the
boats and a few calvry thar was 13 went to arnolds I dont think they will
have much yet for they have a use for it some whar els
I pray to god they wont have many [??]