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to Fun Stuff for Genealogists, Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Virginia Septempber the 21st 1861
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Dear wife I again have the opportunity of informing you that I am well at presant and hoping these lines may find you enjoying the same We left Indianapolis last Saturday night and got to Cincinnati Sunday morning and we left there that evening and took the Marietta road and went to Parkersburg and we got there Monday at noon and ther we took the Cars and came to Webster and we got there Tuesday morning at 8 oclock and Wednesday at 1 oclock we left there and went within 2 miles of Philippi and the
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Thursday we came to Laurel Mountain which was 18 miles and yesterday we marced 16 miles and Now we are at Beverly and we do not know where we will go when we leave but the talk is we will leave tomorrow morning at 5 oclock but we do not believe it although it may be true I would like to be at home to see you I want you to Pray for my return And all of the Praying people that you know to Pray for me I understand but not by the officers that every soldier has 40 days in each year to go home to see his friends in if that be the case
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true I think that I will have a chance to come home and and see you but I do not think we will have to stay long becaus the enemy is retreating all the time towards Richmond and when they all get there we can get through I think at one battle and I think that will decide it one way of the other and I do not suffer much uneasynefs about the matter over here about 18 or 20 miles at Cheat mountain there 60 of our me killed and took 40 priosioners and the rest of a bout 3,000 run
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I sent my hat to Aarons I want you to go see all of my kindred just as often as you can I want you to writ to Mother and go and see her as soon as you can now this is my request and if you can not get anybody to take you if you will let them know it some of them will com and take you down well I have no more room and I will have to quit give my respects to all of our kindred and a large portion of your self writ as soon as you get this direct to me in the card of capt M. C. Welsh Co D 7 regt ind vols no more but remain yours until death Matthias Davis to Jane Davis and all of the kindred so good bye ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Virginia Septempber the 21st 1861
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Dear wife I again have the opportunity of informing you that I am well at presant and hoping these lines may find you enjoying the same We left Indianapolis last Saturday night and got to Cincinnati Sunday morning and we left there that evening and took the Marietta road and went to Parkersburg and we got there Monday at noon and ther we took the Cars and came to Webster and we got there Tuesday morning at 8 oclock and Wednesday at 1 oclock we left there and went within 2 miles of Philippi and the
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Thursday we came to Laurel Mountain which was 18 miles and yesterday we marced 16 miles and Now we are at Beverly and we do not know where we will go when we leave but the talk is we will leave tomorrow morning at 5 oclock but we do not believe it although it may be true I would like to be at home to see you I want you to Pray for my return And all of the Praying people that you know to Pray for me I understand but not by the officers that every soldier has 40 days in each year to go home to see his friends in if that be the case
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true I think that I will have a chance to come home and and see you but I do not think we will have to stay long becaus the enemy is retreating all the time towards Richmond and when they all get there we can get through I think at one battle and I think that will decide it one way of the other and I do not suffer much uneasynefs about the matter over here about 18 or 20 miles at Cheat mountain there 60 of our me killed and took 40 priosioners and the rest of a bout 3,000 run
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I sent my hat to Aarons I want you to go see all of my kindred just as often as you can I want you to writ to Mother and go and see her as soon as you can now this is my request and if you can not get anybody to take you if you will let them know it some of them will com and take you down well I have no more room and I will have to quit give my respects to all of our kindred and a large portion of your self writ as soon as you get this direct to me in the card of capt M. C. Welsh Co D 7 regt ind vols no more but remain yours until death Matthias Davis to Jane Davis and all of the kindred so good bye ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State of Virginia, Camp Elkwater I want to write once a week to me and as often
as you can to Mother and tell our friends to write to me. If I can get
a furlough I am a going to come home a bout christmas or new year but
I do not know whether there will be any furlough granted or not November the 24 I received your letter last night
and I was glad to hear from you, but I was sorry to hear that you was
not well. I was also glad to know that you are well provided for . Oh!
How I would love to be with you to day. Jane, I know that if I I am well satisfied that you would do every thing
that was in your power to make me happy and comfortable. We heard yesterday
evening that the pay master had come but we do not know whether it is
true or not but we hope it is true. Col. Millroy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Camp Kelly Va January the 22nd 1862
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Dear Jane I again sit down to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well And sincerily do I hope these lines will find you enjoying the same I have not received a letter from you for several days But I am looking forward for one everyday Well I will have to tell you the dream that I had last night Although it will be not profit either you or me I dreamed that I was at home and in my dream I saw you and johnny as plain as I ever saw you in my life I thought that you and johnny was laying in the bed and johnnys head was
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perfectly wet with swet And I went to the bed and uncovered his head And he raised up and I thougt he had red whiskers on his face but I thought they was tolerable short I awoke and found it to be a mistake I wished that it had been true But it was not true and I could not make it so Well that is all of it We had a false alarm last night or this morning rather and two companies of our regiment went out this morning at 3 oclock companies B and C and found the enemy to be a lot of cows So they came back without a fight I was on guard last night I was guarding the Brigade commisary and that was not hard work for I staid
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in the house We have got into a Brigade at last and I do not like it much either for we are kept a great deal closter now than we used to be And and another thing is too that we do not get to run around over the world like we would if we was a regt to our selves there is no chance for me to come home as long as I am able for duty For I think by the the movements generally that there is a big figt defending And they will want all the help they can get I understand that Gen McClelland says that if he could get the chance to put it off another sixty days he thinks he could settle this war without any more fighting But he will not be allowed that privelige
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I am in tolerable good health At least I am as well as I except to be while I stay in the army To tell the truth I have not been well that is as well as I used to be since the battle at Green Briar But I am able to be on duty pretty near all the time You need not be uneasy about me for I am not atal dangerous I weight 144lbs I suppose I look well enough but I do not feel well at any time I am afraid you will be uneasy about me, but you must not be Well I still feel that my peace is made with my maker I am stil trying to live religeous I never lay down at night without offering up my supplications to Almight God for his goodness and mircies
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that he has extended towards me alalong through the short journey of my life Jane I want you to pray for me that I may return hom safe. I believe that i have penned all my thoughts I have not recieved them things you sent me yet write as soon as this comes to hand I remain yours truly and respectfully while life lasts Matthias Davis to Jane Davis and friends generally Good bye for the present writ soon ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Camp Kelly Pattersons Creek Va January the 25th 1862
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Dear wife I seat myself this morning with pleasure to write you a few lines to imform you that I am very much under te weather this morning But I hope these lines will find you enjoying good health I had a severe cramping last night in my stomack But as it happened we have a man in our bunk that has studied medicine a great deal and has practiced a right smart and he gave me a dose of opium and it eased the pain in a very short time But I fell tolerable sore about the stomache I received your letter yesterday dated the 14 inst I
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was glad to hear from you which I always am But I am sorry to learn that Johnny was sick You did not tell me what was the cause of his finger nail coming off I was also sorry to hear that you was stil suffering with the toothache You wanted to know if I did not recollect giving Will 60 cents to pay Scott I recollect it very well and so does Jim I expect for I know that Jim saw me give it to him You said you did not intend to pay it neither do I want you to pay it You said that old Mat was out to see you again I did not suppose he thought enough of you neither did I suppose he respected me enough to come to see you so often For I wrote a letter near two months a go and he has never
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answered it yet And so the other day it was one day last week I wrote one to Mahala But i hve not had time to get an answer from her yet I expect the reason he did not answer it was that I asked him to buy me an indianruber over coat and I would pay him for it when I got back home But I am glad he did sent it to me for I have about as much as I can carry on a march We have not been paid of yet and I expect we that we will not be paid until the time for the next pay day And if we do not we will then get paid fo four months But i expect you will need it for I allow they will cut my wages down some for staying behind the regt while I was sick And I think that charity begins at home Therefore
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I will send you the money If you think you can spare the money to pay ??? for that corn you may pay it But I do not want to discommode your self to pay it But if you can pay it without doing your self any harm you may It is $3 You told me about that wedding and you said it would surprise me And suprising it was to me I am not certain that I know who Mrs Phebe White is unless it is Seth Whites (?) mother But I know who Beesie (?) is though There was 5 companies went out on a scout last night Col Gavin went along with them and they found a negro and wanted him to tell what he knew about the sesesh and he would not tell And Gavin threatened to hang him and he stil would not tell And they then
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made arrangements to hang him and he then told
them of a sesesh artillery man and they went and got him And he says the
sesesh came and took four of his horses and he went with them in order
to take care of his horses This is his tale about it But we have taken
a great many prisoners since we have been in the service We are expecting
a battle all the time now and will be very apt to have one before many
days The report is that the sesesh is agoing to try to get into Ohio They
say if they can not get there they will have to give up the ghost and
die But there a great many of them that will die before they get there
I will have to quit for this time I feel very weak and do not feel like
writing much I expect that I remain your husband while life lasts Matthias
Davis to Jane Davis Write soon and oblige yours ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post Hospital Dear wife it is with pleasure that I undertake
to write you a few lines to let you know that I am gaining some in health
and strength. I hope these lines will find you enjoying good health. I
received your letter last sunday dated the 9 inst (?) three more victories like those lately gained will settle the stomachs of this rebellion and bring them to a lively sense of their duty and obligation to a government that has made them every thing they are (except rebels). You said you wanted me to tell you how I like my shirt and socks and mittens. I like my shirt and socks first rate they could not suit me better And I would like my mittens just as well as any thing else you sent me if they was large enough for me But they are so small that I cannot get my hands into them at al they will not do me any
good whatever But I can sell them likely and if I can't sell them for
what they a bed tick if you have any way of getting it filled
with feathers And send I want you to send for what you can not do without
and you know better what that is than I do. You said Johnny had quit crawling
and took to walking altogether. I wish I could be there to see him. Any
you also said he had such a bad temper and it done him no good to whip
him. You must not whip him too much for that is as bad as to not whip
enough. You wanted to know if you had better sell our cow and buy a younger
one. Matthias Davis to Jane Davis and friends -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Camp Gavin Dear wife have been stationed. This is the windiest day that
I ever seen to my knowledge. The wind comes very near blowing our tent trust that I am not deceived. I received your letter
dated Dec. 22 since I commenced writing. I also got that bunch of hair
that come off your head and the curl that was taken from Johnnys head
and they look very natural. You said you wanted me to send you a lock
of my hair if I could spair it. I can spare it and you shal have it and
that too with all my hear. I mean by that that you can have it as free
as I ever took a drink of water and that you heart with it. You had ought
to have platted that hair of your Well not I am writing by candle light and I can
not see the lines. Well tomorrow is the day set apart for general inspection
of arms and Knapsacks and clothing and every thing has ato come out as
bright and as clean as a new pin and if things dont look just right we
will catch a little home made thunder if I am allowed the expression.
Jane I want you to keep in good spirits But I think I will get through tolerable well if
the war is ended by spring. But I am a little affraid there will be no
such good luck as that. But I dont think it will last much longer. Jane
I wish it was so that I could be at home with you. I think that I would
But I think I will get them at least I suffer no
great deal of fear a bout them yet. You said that Johnny got sweeter and
spunkier every day. don't you think that I wish I was there to see him
and you toos. There is nothing that would please me better. March 2 1862 Letter from John Rafferty in the same collection of letters Vermillion Ill May 7th 1870 Fall let it Bring what it will. I think __ selling
it without an order of court and having all the kins to Sign a deed and
Save the cost of getting an order. I want to know if I put it up at the
highest Bidder and Sell if you will all sign the Deed if not of course
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