[This letter was typed from a hand-written copy, the
original having been lost since the copy was made]

Petersburg Va
Nov 20th 1864

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 hoping
that these lines may Reach your kind hands
and find you all in good health you Rote
that you felt very lonsom sense out sweete
littel Baby dide I can say to you that I
feel lonsom and disolate hear sumtimes I
feel like that I never would git to see you
any more but I put my trust in God he
can save life and he can take it away
You Rote that when you went off and come back
that our sweete littel baby would meete you
at the door to kiss you but now it has
quit meeting you and me but if we doo Right
we can meete it in heaven if it taint in
heaven we nedent to try to go thare I am in
hope when we die that we may meete it
thare I cant Rite for cring and I cant half
Rite to day nohow I was on picket last night
I dident sleepe any you Rote that when you
got a letter from me that it would come to
you and ask you if it was hers you Rote
Rote that you had a lock of its hear and three of
its teeth I want you to keep them till I come
home so I can see them too I would like to
see you all very bad but I dont no when
I will git to come home you Rote that the
day before it dide it tride to show you
sumthing up at the loft God bless it and all
of the balance of you is the prayer of your
loving husband you Rote that Mr. and Mrs Landis
wanted to now whether I node any thing about
John Landis are not I haint heard form him
[page 2]
sence I saw him when I was at home
you Rote that Mrs Landis was very good to
you I am glad to hear that I am afraid
after tha git all of the silver that tha
wont bee so good but I hope that
tha will you Rote that you wanted me
to git you afine come and send it to you
Dear wife I Rite every week but I dont git
no ancer every week you Rote that tha was
inroling the boys down to 16 years old
I dont now what tha mean how doo tha
expect for the wimen & children to live
if Richard Camp comes home I want you to
send me sum dride beans and sum cabetch
and that possum that I Rote to you to git
and packet it and send it to me and a
peace of pork and if you can send what ever
you can the unions was very good you can tell
Mother that if she pleases that She can send me
sum more apils if she pleases you Rote
that you haint bin as pore in five years as you
are now you can send me sum more irish
potatoes tha are what is good you Rote that you
had [???????] and [????????] and was halling up your
corn I want you to Rite whether James Cowen is
gone are not I Rote to you that John Wad King [1] was
killed the 16 of this month he live 6 or 8 hours after
he was shot his brains was shot out the ball
struck him in the right side of his head and come
out on the left side of his forade it was a dredful
looking head

F.M. Poteet to his loving wife M. A. E. Poteet