1863 Oct 6
Georgia
Pike County
October 6, 1863
My dear companion,
I seat myself with pleasure to drop you a few lines to inform you that I am well at this time, and I hope when these lines come to hand they will find you well and doing well.
I received your letter and paper of needles. I was truly glad to hear from you and glad to hear you can stay up and about. I was proud to get the needles. I think they are the best I ever saw. They are the sort I love to sew with.
I am glad you can stay there. Stay there as long as you can. It is bad enough to stay there and it is still worse where you will be exposed to the weather and all other hardships. You can be sheltered there and if you get down sick there, you will be nearer home. If you can’t get to come home, stay there as long as they will let you. I hope the doctors will let you come home before long. I think they ought to.
I am glad to hear you get plenty to eat now. I hope it will last.
We heard they were fighting at Chattanooga last Friday again. We haven’t heard what they have done yet. I do wish they would quit fighting and make peace, but there is no telling how long this war will last. We hear no talk of peace up here now. As you say, some don’t care how long it last, so they get rich.
The sick and wounded soldiers are constant coming in here at the Hospital in Griffin. They say there is a many a one there and they keep coming.
M. O. Moore is mending. We heard he was not dangerous.
Uncle Isaac Jones was buried this morning at 11 o’clock. He died yesterday morning about day. Poor fellow, he suffered a long time before he died. I hope he is gone to rest where sickness, sorrow, pain, and death are felt no more. Uncle Aron said he died very easy. Pa and Ma went down there last night. I wanted to go the worst sort, but there was no chance.
We have some very cool weather now.
Write if you don’t want yarn clothes and socks. I have got you some socks done. I will make you some pants as soon as I can get the wool. You hadn’t got none, only some old ones most worn out. I will make you some as soon as I can.
Mr. Benson is sick in the hospital. Mrs. B. said last Sunday, soon as she got a letter and he was not better, she was going down there. I don’t know whether she is gone or not. I haven’t heard.
Mr. Spencer started back yesterday. He told Pa he was going to see you when he got to Macon, if he could find you. I hope he found you if he went.
I was sorry you couldn’t get to come home to go to meeting last Sunday. There was meeting Friday night, Saturday and Saturday night, Sunday and Sunday night. They baptized down here below John P.’s house. It was a very pretty baptizing. Ellen and Champion Smith shouted. Sarah Ann waited until next meeting. She said she was going to write her Pa a letter and see what he said about it.
Your Pa’s family is all well as far as I know. They were all well last Sunday.
You wanted to know if I had drawn any salt yet, or not. I have not drawn any yet, but I am a going to try to draw again when the time comes around. I want to get some salt and thread, too, if I can. It don’t look like I ever will get any more thread, only what I spin. If I had good cards, I could spin what I want.
Mollie is well and hearty. She eats heap more now than she did when she sucked. I wish you could see her. She won’t nigh begin to suck now. She says it is hockey. She does heap better now.
I must close. Write soon. I love to hear from you often.
I don’t know when I can get this off. If I can’t get it off tomorrow, I will write more.
Good-bye.
May God bless you, my dear love.
Write soon.
N. J. Harden to William H. Harden