May the 4^th 1864

 

dear sister I seat my self for the purpose of informing you of our health through the goodness of god we are all enjoying tolerable good health at this time and I do truely hope those few lines will reach your hand and find you all engoying the the same portion of gods good blessing I have been verry neglectful about writeing to you but I hope you will excuse me for this cruel war has been so hard upon me that I can scarcely compose my mind to write a letter I try to write to my husband but except that letters are scarce from my pen therefore I hope you will excuse me and write to me and me know how you are geting along and how you bare this troublesome war bad enough though I know for I hear that henry was killed at dalton with you I mourn his loss how I have long to see him since he has been in the army but I hope he is better off than he ever could have been in this world for I have almost given up all hopes of ever seeing any more peace in this world but while my dear husband lives I will try to hope for better times I think I have seen enough by this war to make me me sick of it and I am tired and double tired of it for two long years and more have I given up my dear husband to suffer the privation and hardships of a soldiers life and one by one my dear brothers have fallen untill it seems to me that I shall never have the pleasure of meeting a brother again on earth but only one have fallen in battle the rest have sicken and died I have two brothers yet in the army brother franklin is yet in the army and Greenlee and all our connection that are liveing brother Landrum we have had to give him up in his death I lost a kind and good brother but we have it all to bear let us show as much christian fortitude as we can and look forward to the day when we shall meet them in that uper and better world where tears are wiped from every eye and and parting is known no more forever I have a hope if such a sinful being as me shall ever be permited in to that better world I shall there see Henry to gether with brother Perry who fell before the enemys bulet and brother Holland and brother Stephen and brother John and brother Landrum thank god for such a hope 

 

J C Brown landed home from yankeydom a few weeks ago a criple for life he was wounded in the gettysburg battle and has been a prisner ever since untill a few weeks ago

 

I have never told you what I named my baby but he no baby now he is a little man and as smart as smart can be he was two years old the first day of last month and he can talk almost any thing and he is as pretty as pretty can be and I call him little Marion his name is Marion Franklin Riddle tell Mattie he must come down and see little Marion and play with him for Marion if he still keeps growing he will soon be ahead of him if he dont grow faster than he use to

 

my husband come home home last fall about the first of october for the first time I had seen him since the middle of Apr 1862 he was wounded in the head on the 20^th of Sept 1863 at chickmauga and he got come home and stay about three months and it is now about four months since I have seen him this I once thought would be more than I could bare but if there was any hopes of his comeing home any time soon it would not be like eightteen months but I fear it will be that long again before he comes if he ever comes and I do hope and trust he will be spard to come home again tell Ann I would like see her and all the rest the same

 

Marion was at Gordonville Va when he wrote last which was the 27^th of Apr he was not verry well at that time

 

So I shall bring my short letter to a close hopeing to hear from you soon

Pernecy Riddle

to Nancy Riddle and family

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