March 31 1864
Dear wife onst more I Am pur mited
to drop you A fue lins to let you no
that I Am still on top of the ground
and still im proving I think sloley as
to my janerril helth it is tolerbill
fairB ut my foot and leg trubBills
mee vary mutch yet it is stif in my
Anke Joint and tena I Am A frad it will
Remaine so it swells vary Bad of A day
and gose part tley A way of A nite I Am
un Easey A Baut my left Arme it
is Brok out on the El Bow Joint vary
Bad But I am in hopes it is not the
Eri ciples = hoping thas fue lines [1]
may find you and my dear little
Children All well and dooing well
But it dont loock lik I hope this [2]
from the way I hav treated you A Bout
Riting to you or sending you sum
money But tena I giv you my Reas
on for not Riting to you if you think
I hav dun Rong By not Riting to you
under thas surcum stances say [???]
in your next let ter to mee [????]
wood Be un Easy wurse than not to hear
at tall tena if I hav dun Rong parden mee
tena I Am draging out the most misre
Bill lif I Ever livd I Am hear and Cant
git A way tha won fur low mee tha say
I liv two near the yankeys lins if I had
livd any whair futher sout I Cood hav
got A fur low But I Am glad my home
is just whair it is and I wood Be mor if
I was at it whair I in tend to
Be when I git Able
[page 2]
you may not think so and you
hav A Rite to think so But I think you
ort to par den mee tena I Am A
frade you and the Children is sufering
for sum thing to Eat By my not send
ing you sum money But tena I
hav had no Chance But I will send
you A hundred dollars By the firs
one I see going home that I think
will Be safere to take it to you
But i am in hopes I will Be the first one
I see going I am going to try for A fur low
to go to see my folks in South Carolina
I think mabey I will git off to
go thair if I doo home I Cum and if tha
dont home I Cum just as soon as I git
Able to walk you may de pend on
this I wood hav Bin thair long A go if
it had not Bin Just as it is doo the Best
you Can plant All the potaters you Can
and so All the seeds you Can I want you
to Be shore to git mee one Bushel of Buck
wheat to so or speek fur it if you Can
manage to plant A patch of Corne doo so
I Can work By moonshine A nuf to make
Bred for us tena dont for git to plant
my peech seede plant them in the garden
A Baut 2 feet A part thair is a Bord of
dotors cuming from Richman hear to
Examan All Crippels and the doctors thats
hear two to see if thar ain sum of them fit
for survis and I think tha will doo sum
thing fur mee A Bord of sound men will
if tha cant I will Rite to you any how
this week A gane and let you no I will finish
on A small pece of paper