[transcribed by M. Ellis, March 2010]

Sunday Jan the 17 1864

Dear husband I [seat] myself to let you
know that I aint well I hav the bowell
complaint and I dont feel well of it
tho I walked to the + roads to day
sent me word to go soon and that he
[??????] sacks tobacco & [1]
a letter [??] he started yesterday
and went another way he has don so
mean I dont care if I dont see him
no moor there is a company of deserters
in the south Mountains numbers 150
John Deal sed that it was a truthfull
man saw them and counted them he
[???????] John dident tell his [2]
name and the Melisha is afraid of them
they dont try to ketch them they go
out but dont go where they are the
Deserters sed that they had 50 guns
for [??] if they would come and ex
cept of them I dont know whether
they will get recruts or not
[page 2]
I heard that you had got out of them
ditches I got a letter to day dated 31
the first in three weeks you wrote
that you wanted to hear from m[e] if you
could not see me I supose I do too we dont
get the mail regular it is time I
had another letter but dont know
when I will get it Mooney will come in
a few days if he dont get his furlow
extended it is mudyest time I
ever saw I hav a hog to kill I wish
you was here to kill it for me I hav
kill three little ones you can tell
[????] that I think hard of him tell
him maby he will want a favor don
some time you sed that it was snowing
it haint snowed here it has hailed & it
raines and then turns cold I feel so bad
I cant hardly write I wrote all the
news in this letter and the other one
when I hear moor I will write it
[upside down in top margin]
doct young says that I may hav John [??]
for [??] dollars and wait till the war ends I think
he is too old to giv that