Aug 14th 1863
Convalescent Camp Virginia
My dear Wife
I received your letter to day it was dated Aug the ninth I was very glad my dear Sarah to hear from you and to hear that you ware well also to hear that Mary and all the rest ware also engoying good health I was sory to hear that the letters which you and Mary had been writing to me had been scent back to you in consequence of them not having been directed write I would have liked very much to have received them especialy the letter from Mary as I have not received any from hir yet. Dear Mussy always when you write to me direct as I have told you olways directing your letters in as good and as plain a hand as you can write, and then I will be more apt to get them I had thought that thy was something Rong some whare as I had not been receiving as many letters from you latly as I formely had been doing I was sory to hear of the death of Adam Haugh but it is nothing more than an every days occurrance in the Army it is very sickly here now and men are dying of more or less every day Dear Mussy the last letter I wrote to you was dated on the 9 Aug the same day that you wrote to me I expect you have received it by this time I also sent you a newspaper on the 13th which I hope you will also receive shortly. I was sorry to hear that William P. Woods was now sick and in some hospitle I have been wondering how he got along as he had not been/very well for a long time before I left my reigement I have thought for a long time back that he could not stand the fetique of a soldier very much longer espeicly in making long marches. I had not heard any thing from Jacob Haugh for some time only what you had wrote to me Jacob has plaid the game of what we call playing of very well he has never done three weeks duty in his Company ever since he left home he has either been sick or pretending to be so ever since he left home he has been sick in hospitels nearly all of his time but I do not blame Jacob for keeping out of the site of the rebels for thy are a very daingrus fow foe and will shoote a man if thy can I was very glad to hear that you had received our poore little Mackys tumb stones you will have to employ some stone mason to sett them up for you. you had better get two large stones and have them mortised and the tumb stones put in the mortises and then fixed firmly in the ground I would like so well to sea his likness now, I think of my poore little son very often indead—
Dear Mussy I have now twenty dollars in mony which I want to send to you but am afraid to enclose it in this letter for fear you may not receive it as thy are so many soldiers here has put mony in letters to send home and it is never received their thy are a great many cases of this kind occurs here I will be in Washington Citty on the twenty third day of this month I will then express/you from Washington and then thy will be no risk in loosing it you can enquire at the express office at Thompsons about the 27th or 28th day of this month I will also write to you through the Post office at the same time I will not pay the postage of it here I will take a receipt for expressing it at the time.
I had heard of Preacher Tuesdale and the others listing in the three months servis before. but I had not heard of Danieal Clements agoing to warr before I wonder that his mother let him go. when you write let me know how the Lady of the Brick tavern is getting along and how Kiss Clements is making it.
dear Mussy give my love to Oliver Mary and Childrin Also give my love to grand pap Clements also to Pegey & Elisa and to Mary Snyder and all the rest of the friends and now my dear Mussy I conclude by sending my love to you also I send you 25 sweet kisses this from your Affectinate husband
good by my dear Sarah for the present
W.Rodgers to
Mrs. Sarah Rodgers
when you write Direct to
Mr. William Rodgers
Convalescent Camp
Near Alexandria Virginia
Ward 24
Dear Mussy please send me a Brookville Newspaper occaisnly when the draft comes of in Jefferson please send me a newspaper that has the names of the drafted men it it
I received a paper from you last week it had the names of two of the Companies it in it that left Brookville
My love to you Dear Sarah
W.R