November 24 1861
Hot Springs Bath Co Va
Dear father and
famly I once mor take my pen in
hand to let you know that we are well
I received you cind leter this mornig
Dated 13 of November which give me so
much Joy to git aleter from you and to hear
that you are well it has ben so long sence
we heard from you I had quit looking
for leters father you wanted to know who
to sende the whiskey to you can direct hit to me
and it will be in a box and I dont think they
wood have eny objection to it you sende it an they
wont know it father I am glad to her
that your Hogs is doing well for polk is
worth 10 cts her you can have achance
of seling sum if you want to
I am so sorra to think you hafter work
so hard in your old days it greeves me
mitly to think of hit I think that gorge
and Jo might hall your wood I know if
I was off like them I wood do hit I know
they hafter work mity hard to feed ther
famly I think the trade you have mad
with Harden will pay very well
if you git all the slop for that will keepe
your hogs fat all the winter slop for
you will need slop fo all thous pigs
[page 2]
father I will tell you alitle about
manases they are expect afite every day
Old McKenling is advancing slow he has
200,000 thousand men and he is fortifying
evry 200 yards Old Beuguard he if fortifying
to he has 100,50 thousand he has 5 or 6 hundred
cannons some of them large enuff for a man
to crall in them Jeneral anders came her
fridey for all the men that [?]ood no eny thang
to come on and Dr Rucker started some
15 or 20 this morning among them Brother
he went to and Brother and philip
and Rucker beg me so hard to not go
I did not go the Dr sed it wood not do
for me to go and lay on the ground But
I cant stay hear I am agoing this weake
If I dont live thar one day for thare will
be the hardest fight that has every ben
and I cant hav the thort of him in such abatle
by him self Brother Ph and me stade [+ sta?]
in one room and they ar gon I am very lonsom
I am in the 3 stora of the big hous in
my Room by my self I will go over
and stay with old uncle Jack father
I have wrote you all the news that
I know I have no news that will
intrest you so I will quit Excuse
my bad writin and spelling I remain
your loving Child tell deth L W Griffin
[page 3]
To my sisters I am
glad to her from you I thort you had
for got ous you wanted to know what we
got in the box we got 3 blankets 4 par of slips
some dryde fruit a botle of B peaches [1] 21 or 22 plugs
of tobaco paper and half a bunel of invelop
was all that we got you have sente thangs
by Mr Thorn if they ar caten shirts we wont
want them for we have got mor now then
we can tote we want some flanin shirts
Mr Ford ses I was in lo sprets I dont know
much about it for I was [??]ng it apears
like a dream to me you think hard of me
for not writin to you when Brother was
sick I wrote the day after he was taken and
the day I got the leters from you and tildey
brother was so lo that I had no hart to writ[?] [2]
the Doctors had quit giving him eny medicu[?]
and I had to give him A spon off of whiskey
Evry hour and he begun to git beter the Dr
wanted to give him medicun when they
wood give it to me I wood throw hit away
and tell old Dr whil I had give it to hi
and when I got the leters I got R[???] to stay
with him and I went up on the side of the
mountain and was seting on a log thar was
two gons fired on the other mountain
they shot at me one of the balls went in
about 2 feet of me and the other 4 feet
[page 4]
they both miss me I then got oup and
got behind the tree
I am very sorra to her that Miss
Meg C was gon for I wrote to her the
other weak and some body els will
see the leter but I cant help it know
Brother wrote to Miss T B but he hant
got eny anser yet you write to me what
she has gon thar for if you can find out
and tell me if Miss Jane C has ever got
her ring I must quit this is the
last leter that I will write from the
Hot springs prehaps it is the last one that
I will ever wright for when that
big batle is over it will stop ameny
po fellow from coming home at
Christmas but I hope for the beter if I ant
Kill in the batle I will write to you
as soon as it is over
the boys left this morning holluring
like they was after a fox and it sunday
morning but we dont have no sunday
her I must come to a closs I remain
your Dear loving Brother so good by
[?] Dear sisters
L W Griffin
Remember me thos meny miles
apart we be I long to see that litle