Peters burg va sept the 17 1862
Dear cosin I will drop you a few lines To
Let you that I am yet A live I have ben
Down with the fever and eagor better than
A weeke I have mist my Eagors and are
Som ond the mend and I hope I shal get well
I hope when theas few lines reaches you they may
find you and all of the family well I have
no news to wright you at this time only
I think the war will end in afew months
We are whipping the yankes like the devel
And run them a way thare is nare yanky
In 150 miles of us and they say they want
To make peace and the is a complimise [1] at this
or ferd by the nor th and I think it will be
Exceptted for both sids are willing to make
Peace cosin I think you have forgot me interely
I think mity hard of you for it for I love you
And would give enny thing in this world if
I could se your purty sweete cheeks one time mor
Give my love to uncle and ant and all of
The childring tell them I want to se them
All very bad I am getting a long vary well
At this time if I was well I have a site of good
Joks In me if I could se you I will right you
A little jooke a bout Joe cortin sally
At the wind up I will end my letter
[page 2]
At length I maid a lucky strike
[A?] the gold itself did tell
I saved it for my sally
the girl I love so well
I saved it for my sally
To throw it at her feete
that she might hug and kiss me
And call me something sweete

At length I got a letter
from my kind brother ike
it came from old missouri
Sent all the way from pike
It brought to me the damdest news
That ever you did hear
My hart is almost bursting
Oh pray excuse this tear
It said that sal was false to me
Her love for me had fled
That she had married a butcher
Whose hair was awful red
It told me more than that
Oh it is enuf to make me sware
It said sal had a baby
And the baby had red hair

Now Ive told you all I could tell
About this sad affair
About sal having a baby
And the baby had red hair

But wheather the brat was a boy or gal
the letter never said
It only said its cursed hair
Was incline to be red

O what do
You think of sutch
A girl as she is
I be durnd if I have
sutch a one as that
you tell Martha Jane
howdy for me and
All of the gals
tell them I love
all of them but
sutch as sal was
and dam all like
her o win I am as
Bad as ever if I could
be with you
Joseph J Cowand
Winaford A Cowan
[page 3 – unclear if the date on this page is an error, or if this song was written down before the rest of the letter]
sept the 14 1862
this beautiful comic ballade has been much sung by its original
My name it is Joe cownd
I have a brother like
I came from old Missouri
yes all the way from pike
I will tell you how I came hear
And how I came to roam
To leave my poor old mama
So far away from home

I used to love a gal thare
They cald her sally Black
I asked her for to marry me
She said it was a whack
Said she to me Joe cownd
Before we hitch for life
You had ought to get a little hous
To keepe your little wife

Said I my dear sally
Oh sally for your sake
I will go to California
And try to rais a stake
Said she to me Jo cowand
You are the chap to win
Give a bus to seal the bargin
And she threw a dosen in

[upside down on the page, second column]
Ill never forget my feelings
When I bid adue to all
When sally caut me round the neck
And I began to ball
And then my kind folks all set in
You never herd the like
How the dam fools all took on
The day I left old pike

When I got to richmon
I hadint narry red
I had such woolfish feelings
I wished myself most dead
But the thoughts of my dear sally
Soon minde theas feelings it
And whispered hopes to bowers
Lord I wish I had em yet

At length I went to mining
Put in my biggest licks
Come down up on the gold dust
Just like a thousand briks
I worked both late and early
Through rain sun and snow
But I was working for my sally
So it was all the same to Joe

[page 4]
looke to the end of this line and that is the head
of it
Cosin that is Rote Backerds and
forwards so it will hold out

Give my love to all of my folks
Tell them they kneede not Righte
Me enny more if they donte want to
I want you to Right me as soon as
you can and let me no the news
And what you think of sal
give my to all of the neighbors
keep a double potion for your self
nothing more only I remain
your dear cosin untwell
death
Joseph J. Cowand
To Winaford A Cowand
Winaford A Cowand