Augusta County: Samuel Franklin Carson to Annie Harris, August 6, xxxx
Summary:
Frank (Samuel Franklin Carson) writes to his lady friend Annie in response to her recent letter accusing him of having forgotten her because he so rarely writes. He remarks that paper is scarce but camp conditions are good, including the men's health. He laments that he has heard that his family's health at home is much worse.
August 6th
Camp near Centresville
My dear Annie,
I have just finished reading your welcome & highly esteemed letter, which believe me was a source of much pleasure in me. You said in yours that you had come to the conclusion that I had forgotten you from the fact that you had not received a letter for so long from me. Now I must say in all candor that this is exactly my notion about you. for I full confident that you were due me two letters at least. But I shall not fall out with you about that. As you may not have gotten them. Well I must tell you we have had some very hard times since our battle, in the way of living some times entirely out of meat & bread & laying in an old field where the sun was hot enough to cook an egg & nothing but muddy creek water to drink half the time. But I am happy to say that we are faring much better now. We are in a nice grove & have very good water yet we have to go almost a half mile for it but that is nothing to what it is sometime.
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Well I must give you all the news I can on this half sheet as paper is very scarce. We are now about 9 miles from the junction toward Halifax Courthouse - how long we will be permitted to stay I am unable to say now. I have no idea of where our next move will be to, [unclear: unless] it be to Washington, however it does not become [added: me] to say anything that [deleted: might]I don't know. One think I feel very confident of & that is that I dont think we will have another attack at this point soon. I must hasten on as I [added: have] [illeg.] other letters to answer this evening. One to your Cousins Annie & Hannah & one to Cousin Hollie & Sallie Harris. So you see I'll be Right busy. But one thing is [added: in] my favor. I haven't but one & half sheet to write on & it wont take long to do that. I dont know what we will do now. we cant get any thing of the kind here at all. I hope you will not [unclear: quit] if you should not get an answer to your next. I will [unclear: certainly] write every opportunity [illeg.]. [illeg.] before one with a great long fall on waiting to your Cousin Annie. he looks so sour that sugar would hardly melt in his mouth. Enough of that. John & Sam Thompson are both well. The health of our boys is pretty good, with the exception of two or three cases [illeg.] of fever, one of measles & 1 mumps, none dangerous however. I had thought of getting a furlough this week, but they have shut right down on giving them however I hope it will not be long till I can get one.
Yours devotedly, in haste
Frank
P.S. Please don't show this miserably written thing to any one.
