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Carysbrook July 16th 1864

            Saturday morning-

I must write my beloved husband a few

lines telling him how we are getting by, tho'

if my letters are as slow in reaching him as

his are in reaching me it is "loves labors lost".

Day before yesterday I recieved your letter

written a month and two days before which

had, however, made an eccentric movement

round by Clarksville- with it came a letter

from Helen giving a full account of their

scare at the time of the Yankee raid, in

=stead of going over the ground I enclose

her letter, and will devote mine to other [?].

Nannie and Mr Mason are to spend

the day with us, and Tuck and myself

have just been making an ice cream

out of butter milk, brown sugar and peach

leaf seasoning. I wish you could be here

to enjoy it, for tho' it does not sound very

promising, I [?] you it will be very good.

Day before yesterday we spent with Nannie

all the morning we were interrupted but

in the afternoon we settled [?]

[P.2]

[?] for a nap but in truth for a good

talk, which we enjoyed not a little. Mr

Mason's little nephew is at the Rectory, and

near having had whooping cough I cannot

take Charley there. Out boy is getting on as

well as possible, tho' night before last he was

feverish, and at night he coughs a great deal,

his cough is on the increase, but he is having

the disease as mild as possible, and you

need feel no apprehension with regard to him

Little Mary too, is doing well.

Are we not having splendid news from the

Army? Tho' I must confess to great anxiety

about out akin[?] Army. Montague wrote

the things of Genl. Wallace's [?] by Early

in Maryland. and of the dissention among

the different parts is at the North. I do believe

that peace is near at hand or an armistice

or something that will bring people together

again. The hint you gave of the thought of

coming on to Va, to the Battles around Richmond

filled me with angst that you had not come

we might have been together for, at least, a

little while. Mrss Lizzie Jones is with

[P.3]

Nannie at Mr Paine's, they having been

shelled out of Petersburg, several shots papered

through the house they were living in. I wrote

you of [?] Posey Page's fall before Petersburg.

The mail has come and still no news from

you, my husband. Tuck is reading a

letter from Mrs Clarke of Gloucester. The

people there have been suffering much from

robbers [underlined]. Don't know whether they are white or

black... Some [underlined] are black and have been taken

up by the Yankees and are in chains. Their

[?] were very high handed returning

night after night to the same place. Mr

Clarke lost a great deal of meat and lard &c.

Mr Curtis his horse. Mrs Perrin all her

meat. I am hoping to hear from my dear

Mother, and should not be surprised to

see her anyday I am sure her anxiety

must be great to see her children. Tuck

reads out items from Mrs Clarke's letter while

I write. Mr Clark and Mr Curtis were taken

up and carried to York, but permitted to

return late at night. Of course this was

[P.4]
sometime back _ date June 29th. I pray God

that the end is near, and that our poor land

will shortly be free from the Vandals who have

so long oppresssed our people. Sainty Bryan

is in the same Company ^20 Howitzers where

with your Mother's servants. I shall write to

him to look after them. Ain't that right?

The company when last heard from time [crossed out]

were near Seven Pines- I am truly rejoiced

that they are not with the advance with

Maryland. What must I do about our

next year supply of flour. and corn? The

wheat crop is a short one about here and the

Government wants half of that, the remainder will

suspect be very high and I sometimes think

we ought to control numbers with meal. I am

quite willing as I prefer it. Oh I [?], I do feel

depressed sometimes about the future, every

thing is so high ["so high" underlined]. Cousin R. has given ^calfskin me leather

for a pair of shoes and a jar I brought from

home will be filled with lard. If I had your

measure I would try to have you a pair of shoes

made for you. Please write to me-

Your devoted wife-

[P.5]
how provisions have been put up in price, how they- the Yanks

grumble because flour is $20 per barrel. I do trust

they may feel this war is the way we have, then we

may expect a cry from them of peace. Ranny B[?]

is with Buck[?]. I wish he would bring me a [?]

of [?]. I am rejoiced that we have brought

our supplies safely to this side of the Potomac. In

consequence meat and flour have been gone down a little

in R- I understand Jennie P- desires her love to

you. Cousin Mary is quite sick in bed. I wrote to Mr

Hopkins as soon as I got your letter some weeks ago, to

retain the money until I called for it, and requested

him to let me hear from him. He has not written tho'

weeks have passed, and I fear ["I fear" underlined] that your Power of

Attorney did not reach him. [?] [?] from

Montague so I suppose the Danville road is not

yet in travelling condition. He promised to

let me know. It is time for one to be at home,

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I do hope this long letter may not be thrown away, but that you

may receive and enjoy it. Cousin R says you

must let him know

[P.6]

tho' I am sure I don't want to go there. I hope you

got your Birthday letter as it may help to [?]

you to that day. Charley is getting on finely with

the whooping cough. Did you get the letter containing

the thorn taken from his foot? He was running

with his naked feet out of doors when the thorn

stuck in his foot. Cousin R. had to give several

pulls at it with tweezers before he could extract it. I

included the thorn to you. Charley, after I bound his foot

up in turpentine clothes [?] to walk for a day, finally

he consented to try to play lame soldiers and walk in

crutches, you would have laughed to see him. He

is quite well now. I have not been well, troubled with the

old ailment - I told you so my [?] about last

Winter an am taking medicine. The Minnegerodes

were prevented by rain from dining here on Tuesday

and we expect them to-day. We dined without them

at Mr Galt's yesterday, and had a pleasant time.

[P.6- Vertical in Left and Right Margins]

About the crops where you are. Jack Page has not been

paid off for [?] months. We get so much money in

Mary [?]. I hope you will all be paid shortly.