Brown Parkinson Jr. to Letitia C. C. Parkinson, undated
Dear wife I seat myself to let you know how I am getting along I am not very well. I have had the diarrhea about three days mighty bad I have not eat any thing hardly for two days and I am taking some medicine to I think by starving and taking some medicine I will get well in a few days we are still at Murfersboro and no more talk of a fight now than there was the next day after we got there the Cavalry has been fighting nearly every day since we come here old morgan took twenty one yankees last week and brought them into Murfersboro and parolled them and they went on back towards Nashville I went out to the pike and seen them / there was some as fine looking men as ever I saw and there was some tolerable orny we got about fifty two waggons loaded with hay We got plenty to eat now we draw flour and meal and sugar and salt and rice and molasses and pork and bacon and beef but it has not been that way all the time there was a while we did not get more than half we did not get any salt nor any sugar nor any pork nor any thing else for about a week but we get plenty of every thing now we have chicken beef and pork we have got messed off at last monroe Rob Willy and myself mess together we get along fine every fellow does his part I am the greatest cook you ever saw I can cook chicken pie or dumpling and I think when I can cook that I can cook anything I never have tried chicken dumpling but once / and that was mighty good and I can make as good biscuit as any body well Cul I must you how much I have read in my bible I commenced at the first and I have got till the sixteenth chapter of exodus that is 62 chapters since come out there was 4 chapters out at the first and I was at home nearly a week I dont expect you will think that is much but again a man drills about half of his time and get wood and cook he dont have much time to read he has no light to read by but you need not be afraid but what I will read some every day and praying you need not be afraid but what I will atend to that I hear enough of swearing to keep me in mind of my prayers I want you to tell my dear old father that I attend to my bible and praying 
 
Well Cul I want you to write to me and let me know whether you have got all my letters or not I sent one by mail and one by William Willson and one by old man George and I want to know whether you got them or not and I sent that flask by Willson let me know whether you got that or not and when you write I want you to let me know whether you all have got your shoes or not and if you got them when they was promised or not I do want to hear from you and them sweet little children Cul their would be no use in trying to tell you how bad I do want to see you because I could not if I would try I never have heard from you since I left only by drake he seen you in Fayetteville and he said you was all well Cul want you to let me know when and how you got that hog up and let me know whether they are fatning well or not 
 
            Well, Cul, I never have said any thing about any of the rest of them they are all well Rob has the cold pretty bad he cough at night right smart monroe and Jim Mc is both well we had a big day yesterday the whole army went up into town to see Jeff Davis I did not get to go I did not feel like walking they had to walk about three miles that was six miles there and back they was mighty tired when they got back but they got to see old Jeff the men was a greater show than Davis was there was three Divisions Cheatum and Witherses and Breckinridges all up there together.
 
well Cull I will send you some stamps and if you have no chance to send me a letter by hand I want you / to try it by mail I cant [paper hole] you how but your father can we may not leave here in a month and we may leave in an hour know body can tell any thing about when or where we will go when we do leave here
well, Cul I believe I have told you every thing I can think of I want you tell me how many is at home that was conscripted and where kirk and John stanfield and Arthur and Washington is gone or whether they are gone at all or not I believe I will quit
                                                           
B Parkinson    G C C Parkinson
 
Cul it takes two of these stamps on a letter /
 
            Well Cul I heard from John Parkinson last night after I finished my and I thought I would write a little more and let you know how they are Mary Ann is very low Hamelton reed come up and he was there last sunday was three weeks she could not [?] any body to [?] on the floor he said the yankees not bad for there to be so plenty well I am so cold i must quit       write soon
                                                                       
Brown Parkinson
                                                                       
G C C Parkinson
12970
DATABASE CONTENT
(12970)DL1810.011190Letters186X

Tags: Animals, Cavalry, Chores, Conscription/Conscripts, Drilling, Family, Fighting, Food, Homesickness, Illnesses, Jefferson Davis, Medicine, Paroles/Paroled Troops, Prisoners of War, Reading, Religion, Supplies, "Yankees" (Confederate opinions of)

People - Records: 2

  • (4622) [writer] ~ Parkinson, Brown Jr. ~ Parkerson, Brown Jr.
  • (4623) [recipient] ~ Parkinson, Letitia Carolina Culpernia ~ Bearden, Letitia Carolina Culpernia ~ Moore, Letitia Carolina Culpernia
SOURCES

Brown Parkinson Jr. to Letitia C. C. Parkinson, undated, DL1810.011, Nau Collection