Augusta County: Mollie Houser to James Houser, February, 28,
1864
Summary:
Mollie laments the loss of James's horse and comments on the hard times the confederacy is
facing.
February the 28 /64
Augusta County Virginia
Dear Cousin
I seat myself this pleasant evening to answer your kind letter
that I received a few days ago affording me pleasure to hear from you as I received a letter from you sometime ago & did
not answer it I hope you will pardon my for not writing I've been so
busy & flying around with the boys that i forgotten my duty I
received a letter from you the other day with some songs in it I'm very
much pleased with them & am thankful to you for them I feel very sorry to hear of the
loss of your horse but I've heard it said there
never was a loss but what there was a gain & I truly hope that
may be your mutual blessing as we are all doomed to disappointments & bad luck may god be in our midst to bless us in our trials
& temptation in this world of sin & misery whilst we are traveling through this wilderness of woe well Cousin I have
enjoyed myself better for the last two weeks than I've done since the
war has commenced going to Church & to singing we will have singing tomorrow night in
the neighborhood & I expect a fine time but I'm afraid it will turn out a bad night as it often does but my
doom is disappointments anyway well James you wished to know if I had
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got insulted at anything when you were here I never get insulted at any person unless
they mistreat me in some way & I'm sure you done nothing as I
know of well Jimmy Pa says to tell you when he gets those caps & powder you sent him he'll have enough to kill the Devil & I hope he may get at it if he
thinks he can Kit her best old green specks to you & her love to Cousin Monroe well
Cousin I think this Confederacy is almost gone up the spout the next time you write tell me
what you think about it I don't think I'm wrong
& the sooner the better they have taken almost every man
& talk of calling on the men from seventeen to fifty
& then I suppose they will search they graveyards and swear
them to the length of them they have been dead & if old Master don't be very careful they will steal away his Just Claims
& make him out a liar well I haven't
anything to write that will interest you there is nothing here now but hard times & worse a coming & some of the longest faces you ever saw I will Close by giving you my
love & the love of the family
I remain you affectionate Cousin
M. M. Houser
PS Please write soon give my love to Cousin
A M
