Peters Burg V.A.
December 31 1864

Dear wife and children I
Seat my Self this morning to
write you afew lines to
let you now that I am well
hoping that these lines may
Reach your kind hands &
find you all well I hope
and trust to the Lord that
I may live to see you all
again it seems like that
will bee along time yet if
I live I hope it wont I have
agrate desire to see you all
Once more in this life I
think that I could stay
with you the balans of my
[page 2]
Days I haint Received no
letter from you in all most
three weeks I would like to
hear from you if I cant git
to see you I want you to still
pray for me and all the balans
of the soldiers and tell all of
my friends to pray for me
and to pray to god to spare
my life to live to git home to
raise my littel Children I
have agrait desire to see you
all one more I have heard
Sum of the Soldiers Say that
the pople thot tha Saw
hards times at home but
[page 3]
that tha dident not now what
hard times was thare I dont
now how times is thare times
is as hard thare as tha are hear
I dont now how you all stand
thare we only git five littel
Crackers for one day Rations
we dont git no meat now but
about twist aweek if that
aint hard times I dont now
what hard times is the mud
is shoes mouth deep hear now
and it tis A snowing now
as hard as it can Rip my
Shoes very bad but I dont
now how long it will bee till
I git apare I want you to Rite
me all the newse and I want
you to tell Mooney to come badly
[page 4]
and stay till the war ends are
stay till the crowd comes
home tha all Say that tha
Hear say that tha are agoing
to give us adiner the 2 day
of next year I dont now I cant
tha keepe so mutch
O lord look down on me
and spare my life to live to
git home and have mursy
on my famly and save them
from all harm and Spare
there lives to live to Give
I want you to send me sumth-
ing to eat by Mooney are Camp
I Sent all of the letters that
I had but the too last ones
that you sent dont forgit to
pray for me F. M. Poteet to M. A. E. Poteet