Augusta County: Mollie Houser to James Houser, April 5, 1864
Summary:
In this letter Mollie Houser expresses her concern for soldiers in the field and her wish
that the war may soon end.
April the 5 1864
Augusta County Virginia
Dear Cousin Jimmy
I seat myself this morning to Express my gratitude unto you in answering your kind letter of
the 20th finding me in good health with the rest of the family &
hoping when those few lines comes to hand they may find you enjoying that condition of health
which renders the human most happy in this life Cousin you must excuse
me for not writing sooner I would have written but I had started a letter to you a few days
before I received your last & I thought I would wait for an answer from that but perhaps you did not get it as you requested me
to direct to NC I will do so as I have nothing of importance to write at present I'm sorry I haven't something good to write to you
this time but I can't interest you by writing as long as the war lasts
perhaps it may take a notion & stop of a sudden sometime
A great many persons think it will this spring but I believe the old Prophets are all dead & the young ones don't
know
anything about it or it would have stopped long ago well Jimmy
we've had some very disagreeable weather for sometime on the soldiers
but they don't
seem to mind it as much as I do for them I received a letter from one a few days ago & he
stated that his fingers had gotten so frosted when he was on guard he Could hardly write poor
fellow if I had him here I would Certainly Cure them for him like [unclear: Kit] did
yours if you remember anything about it well Cousin I'm sorry to tell you that Brother William has gone back to camp again I hate
to see a soldier start as bad now most as I did at first but they can't help it I have to shed tears but it does no good well Cousin I hope we
may have fine Crops this year & plenty of fruit & the war may Close that the
Men May get home again & we will
[page 2]
Certainly have some fine spread boilings as
the old Pennsylvanians Call it I want you If the war ever ends
to bring your Sister & some of your Connections to see us & tell Cousin AM to
Come tell him he don't think worthwhile
to write to me but he does to [unclear: Kit] & she ain't as much kin to him as
I am for my name is houser & hers is hanger & if he don't think so tell him I've heard old people say that I favor
them more than all the rest by the name & I don't think I will
ever take the letter H from my name If it ain't Houser it will be
something like it well Cousin Jimmy it would have afforded me great pleasure to see you & your Cousin AM before you left Virginia but I hope to
see you both some future day if we never meet on this earth we will hope to meet in heaven
[unclear: weel] in the god of battle trust & die for old Virginia I must soon
bring my uninteresting letter to a Close for the want of something to write receive my love
& warmest affections
I remain your Cousin
Mollie M Houser
PS Please write soon give my love to all tell your Cousins to write to
me & the next time you write tell me what has become of your brother William as you
wrote to me once about his being in bad health give my most pious regards to Cousin Monroe
& my love to all the rest of your Connections & receive a due portion
yourself
from your most affectionate Cousin MMH
Greenville
Augusta
County
Virginia
when you direct my letters to
Mollie M Houser they will be alright I always get mine without
fail they always know who to send them to or they might hear something like fuss
