PetersBurg V.A. October 4th 1864

My Dear Wife and Children I seat my
Self this morning to Rite you afew
lines to let you now that I am well
at this time only I am very week in
my legs and hips I cant git Along
A walking like I once could I cant
Run if it was to Save my life 50
yards but I hope and pray to god
that these few lines may Reach
your kind hands and find you all
in good health you Rote in your letter
that you and Mary wasant well
that went hard with me you Rote
that you had to cry about that I
could not git to come home I
would all most give my life to bee
with you this night I hope and pray
to god that this war will close
before long that all of the men can
come home if higgins will fetch it
and this letter comes to hand I
want you to send me sum cabetch
potatoes and peper and sum of our
homade tobacco send what you
can you maby can think About what I want
you to sent me sum unions again
it seems like that I have had bad luck
with what you send me I am Stationed
all most in the edg of PetersBurg
and I want you to tell Mother
if She pleases to send me sum
apels tell her that I would
Rite to her but I haint got paper
to Rite and I haint got no money
that I haint Drawn no Money
sence I left home you can tell her
that I git About half anuff to eat
that I git the ¼ of apound of
Meat for a day Rashing and about 3/4
of apound of flower per day and if
I live I dont expect git half that
mutch before long tha Say that
[page 2]
Lee Says that he cant hold
Petersburg that he will have to
vack awate [1] it and make his lines
Shorter tha have bin fighting three
are fore days just on our Right I
haint heard our loss but I expect
that it tis heavy you Rote that tha
Say that peace will be made before
white frost god sent it I dont see
no sign of peace hear tha are
fighting every day hear on picket
you Rote to me that the was
dead I was sory to hear that you Rote
to me about the hefor and I Rote to you
to kille her <???> never anything A
bout the sheepe I would like to now
how your Ruffiness held out for the
Mare you Rote that it nearly broke
your heart it hurt me when I could not
git to come home I dont now how
you are agoing to save your fodder but
I am in hopes that god will provide
sum way to save it you Rote that
you thought that you would git to
see me one time more I think if
nothing hapines us that you will git
to see me again you and talk with
you I would like to talk with you
you very Bad but I cant now but
if we both live we will talk to
gether again Dear wife you dont
now how mutch I Study about you
and my littel Children I would
love to kiss that littel one that I
haint never seen you Rote that
it had taken astart to grow and
it was very purty and smart god
bless it and speare its life and mine
to both till I can git to see it
I hope and pray to god that he will
Spear All of our lives to live to see
one another again in this life so I
will Close by saying Rite soon
F. M. Poteet to M. A. E. Poteet god bless
and save you Fare well Martha god Bless
[added at top of page]
if you send me a box I want you
to bore sum holes in the sids of hit
and then the things wont spoyle