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                                                Richmond  3 May 1863  Sunday

        I  received your most welcome letter by C. Hansford

my beloved wife, on Friday evening,  having received your

previous one by mail a day or two before.

          I am rejoiced to know that dear Lelia is able to

leave her room, and that all the rest  are well only

varied by the continued weakness of dear Anne;

tho'  I hope she will soon rally.  I am very glad

 that the box of pills went safe.

                I  saw James Semple  yesterday who told me

you all and whose account, as his society was

 along with it, I enjoyed almost as much as I did

your letter;  he said that my darling Lucy Page

was fat and rosy & lively as  possible.  How

thankful I am that the beloved child has so

completely recovered.   You did not say any

thing in your letter about the articles which

Mr. S. was so kind as to have imported for Lelia

along with some things for his wife, but he told me

that he carried them up with him.  I am truly

glad that in the scarcity of such things that she is

so far supplied.  I hope that the articles, by their

value,  justify the price;  that is,  that Mr.  S. did

not have the trouble to get them unless they were

cheaper than they can be had here; tho' I suppose

that must necessarily be the case as their was

no profit upon them; he said $21 in gold for

Marginalia-page 1

Affectionate  love to the dear girls.   Thousand kisses for my darlings. Kind regards to Mr. Wilmer. 

I have bought an ounce of quinine;  I sent you about 40 grains; it is pasted up for safety: 

When you open it, cut a hole & hold it over another paper.  I will get some ginger.   do you

                                                                                                                                                          want                                                                                                                            pepper?

them and I paid to  a broker $105 for $21 in gold, to

repay him.    The articles ^bro.t  by C. Hansford  ( one pair, shoes & gloves) I

will endeavor to do the best with.  He went up to carry

his man Jim to hire him out, not choosing to let him

remain in Richmond as he had run away once:  he

hired him in Danville.  I am glad that he did not

 hire him near the courthouse as the example and pre-

-sense of a servant  who has been amongst the Yankees

and had once gone off,  would in all probability have been

deleterious to our servants with whom he is of course

well acquainted.    Some things that you told me in

your letter about Williamsburg I had not heard.  I suppose

they came from Jim as I made special enquiries of all

who went from here to Wmsburg & returned.  For instance

I had heard nothing of Molly & the house that she is at;

Moreover I had not heard that Elia was still in Wil-

-liamsburg; on the contrary you wrote me some time ago

that Mrs. Ball had informed some one that she was gone,

& the gentlemen who went to Wmsb.  could not tell me.

     It seems then that the very servant that we left in

Williamsburg, except  Sam who was hired at the Lunatic

Asylum, is still in place.  I do not except Nat as

his departure was cotemporaneous with ours,  and all

that remained at the farm are still there except

Jacob who was enticed away by his wife, who like all the

rest  of Mrs. Tucker's servants (except the very old) had taken

rest  of Mrs. Tucker's servants (except the very old) had taken herself off.

I made a special enquiry of Mr. Sydney Smith & of Charles Hansford

about Fanny and neither could tell me any thing about her;

   I learned however that her husband, Sam Bonner, had

gone  down to Old Point some time since; I infer that Fanny

went with him.  I doubt whether her owner,  Mrs. Hofheimer,

will ever see her again.  The Hofheimers went to Baltimore.

      I cannot hear any thing about Williamsburg or the

Lunatic asylum.  When Mr. Douglas was here about ten

days ago he said he thought the Yankess would give

up the institution.  He went down to see and said that

if they had given it up or would do so, he would come

 back here to see me  & make some arrangement about

its support.  I have not heard from him. 

    It seems to be considered here that a general engage-

-ment at Fredericksburg is imminent if not actually

going on.  They have  been fighting in a promiscuous way

in detached parties for 2 or 3 days; nothing very re-

-markable done as yet.   Poor Mr. & Mrs. Price have

lost their son Channing; he was killed near Fred. a

day or two ago, his funeral   ( to take place tomorrow)

was announced at Church- St. Paul's-this morning, where

by the way,  Mr. Ambler read the service and a gentle-

-man preached whom I did not know, nor did any one

with whom I spoke.  I have seen Mr. Ambler since

I wrote last and asked him about Miss Sally Galt and

Miss Gabriella.  He said that Miss Sally was in very good

health & he believed reasonably comfortable, having   Mrs. Shirwell's

                                                                                                                     society &c

herself off.

I made a special enquiry of Mr. Sydney Smith & of Charles Hansford

about Fanny and neither could tell me any thing about her;

   I learned however that her husband, Sam Bonner, had

gone  down to Old Point some time since; I infer that Fanny

went with him.  I doubt whether her owner,  Mrs. Hofheimer,

will ever see her again.  The Hofheimers went to Baltimore.

      I cannot hear any thing about Williamsburg or the

Lunatic asylum.  When Mr. Douglas was here about ten

days ago he said he thought the Yankess would give

up the institution.  He went down to see and said that

if they had given it up or would do so, he would come

 back here to see me  & make some arrangement about

its support.  I have not heard from him. 

    It seems to be considered here that a general engage-

-ment at Fredericksburg is imminent if not actually

going on.  They have  been fighting in a promiscuous way

in detached parties for 2 or 3 days; nothing very re-

-markable done as yet.   Poor Mr. & Mrs. Price have

lost their son Channing; he was killed near Fred. a

day or two ago, his funeral   ( to take place tomorrow)

was announced at Church- St. Paul's-this morning, where

by the way,  Mr. Ambler read the service and a gentle-

-man preached whom I did not know, nor did any one

with whom I spoke.  I have seen Mr. Ambler since

I wrote last and asked him about Miss Sally Gold and

Miss Gabriella.  He said that Miss Sally was in very good

health & he believed reasonably comfortable, having   Mrs. Shirwell's

                                                                                                                     society &c

Marginalia -page 3

Mrs. Minnigerode sends love.  Kind regards to Mrs. S. & Bessy.  Gilmers, Coles. Whittler, Martin's &c

also, that altho' being sad of course, she was more calm than

any one supposed she would be.  Miss Gabriella is pretty well

and has not been much disturbed. 

      You are mistaken , my dear wife, if you think that I

"respire" or "brood over" my affairs;  it is not my line.

I never did adopt any such position about any thing.  I have

too much life in me.   Were I where I could see you and

our dear children and grandchildren  when I desired, I

should be as contented as any one can be during this war.

    The condition of things has pretty much the same effect

on me that sickness has; it enrages  rather than

depresses me,  I feel the most intense hatred all the

while actuating me and filling me with desire to see the

Yankee race exterminated.  I believe I could calmly wit-

-ness the sacrifice of every man every woman and every

child  of the accursed race on one field.  I would be

 willing to live in my house for one year if it were

painted from cellar to roof tree, inside and out, with

their blood, without having it cleansed or decked with

any  other ornament.      When I said that I would

wait until the adjournment of Congress before I came

up to visit you, I was actuated by this conversation.

As I have undertaken to hold office here I want as

I am absent from you , to make it as effective as possible

towards our support.  I thought that after the members of

Congress ( who are always pressing their protégés upon the

Secretaries for places) were  gone there would be more

opportunity for me to be advanced.  They are gone - Congress