Washington Co Long Acre NC January the 14,1865
my dear I have not receved aney letter from
you since I rote on the 9 I had just receved one
then dated the 2 of January but I hope to receve
one soon for I would be glad to hear from you
every week or every day if I could but I no I
cant we could hear from each other every
week if those that carryes the letters would
not be so carless but it dont concern them
and they dont care for it is next thing to
seeing you and having a long talk with
you to get a new letter I hope you have got
the two last I sent you Decm 31 and Jan
9 I rote to you about Mr orsbon wanting to
pay his note and about Cornelia ann
being sick Martha got a letter from
Langley he was well and the rest of the
boys except wm antony he got wounded on
the 25 of dec but he dident say how they are
at willmington now I have heard that
they are going to be sent to charleston the
letter was dated the 4 of January he ses
pervison is very scarce whar he has ben
he dont see no hopes of its ending short of a
famin but he makes bad of all I no he dont no
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the yankees hasvent been this far yet I live in
hopes they wount I learn they have just come from
down the country and have taken all of some peoples
meat and poltry and have tore up rite smart
and bad they have served the people round town
rather worse than they use to they take nearly
ly all of thar poultry I never have told you
how Rofe Walis scard us all when plymouth
fell farther was very sick I went out
thar to see him on monday the day the town
fell I thought they wouldent come out as
soon as they got thar when I went along
I told Rofe what I had heard about town
being taken he dident believe the boat was
blowed up nor that they had taken town
tuesday he went down to Airs to hear the
news and got drunk but I dident no it he
come on to wm L Bowen Frank Respess had
gone over thar to hear the news he ast Rofe
what was the news he ses if you want to be
sunk in the middle of hell you stay here
fifteen minut longr for the yankees is rite
after me that scard frank they put off runing
thar horses and every one they saw ast
them the news they told them the yankes is a
coming I met him at our old place I ses wats
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the news he sed bad news I am sorry to tel
you the yankees has bin out last night and
they will be out again to night I ast him how
far they come he couldent tel me he sed they dident
come as far as my hous but talk like the would
that night he sed if they did they wouldent hurt
me I neadent be afraid of them but signefied like
they would hurt somthing else he sed he had
certinley bin wild that evening he had run his
mare fore miles that evening she was a smoking
when I met him I expected by his talk they would
be thar before I could get home it scard me as bad
as I have bin scard aney time when I got to wm
[page 4]
sophia sed she heard the dogs bark and we expected
they were thar certen I thought I could hear them
when I got home and they wasent thar I felt
thank ful that I got thar before they did I thought
Certen that they would come that night by what he
told me it was just night when I got home I was afraid
to go to the cook house for fear they could come and
get in the house and I out I sat up till twelve
oclock and they dident come and I imagind they
come to the brige and tore it up and went back
but when I come to find out they hadent bin
out side of the breast works it was everry
bit a story I rote to you to send me a dollars worth
of postage stamps for Nancy respess and con
tinue to send me some wm want some he hasent
got nary one I lent him two to put on a letter to you
[page 5]
we are all well except Cornelia Ann she is a great deal better than she
has bin she has got so she can walk about a room a little she hasent
bin able to comb her head in ten days until to day nor sit to the table
I rote to you how helples she was she could not use hand nor foot old
chistmas day her sweling has left her feet and hand she has a
aching in her coler bone when the aching leaves it then it is sore
I hope she will soon get well again I sent you some thread in
my last I will send you some more in this and the balance of them
little bills perhaps you can pass them thar I must close for it has
ent bin many days since I rote and I havent so much as used to
rite, rite every week and come home as soon as you can for I cant
tel you now glad I should be to see you but as glad as aney one could
be for you are my daily stdy day and night
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cousin peny sends her love to you and george I hope you will get a
furlow to come home before long I hope the lord will perserve your life
and give you good health and good fare and cause you to come back
home to stay is the prayr of your effectionate wife Ann L Bowen