Macon Miss.
Nov 3rd/63
My Own Darling,
I arrived at home safe but not sound last Friday evening. I wrote you at Foster's that I had a terrible cold. The first day we travel 'twas lovely but the second I was so unfortunate as to get caught in a furious storm about four miles from home. The rain struck the carriage like a perfect sheet of hail. Lisk (the driver) had to stop the mules & wait till it passed. It lasted about 25 minutes. I got my feet damp in some way, and have been doing my best to have an attack of pneumonia. I have pleurisy and Ma & Pa was quite uneasy for fear it should turn to pneumonia but I am much better to day and sitting up in bed trying to write to my Darling. I've been thinking of you all day and at last determined I must write to you / I dreamt of you last night and would have told it this morning before breakfast (they say the dream will come true if you do) but we tried that so often while I was over at Father's and it failed so I've lost faith in it. Speaking of dreams reminds me while I was at Foster's I dreamed you came home. Some one told me of it, and I run in the room and was just in the act of getting a long long kiss from you when what should cause all my happiness to vanish but that dear, hateful little Pressie waking me up saying "Ma I want to feel "titty". Oh, Lor! I thought "innate total depravity" already developed in him. When I got home I found Ma sick. She has only gotten up to day. Father's health is not so good as it has been. I think he was rather proud of your being wounded in the last battle. I did not get to see John before I left Fathers. They would not let him come out untill he'd been there a month. He writes that they have expelled twenty and buried / five. They have very strick orders. I know it will be a treat for John to go out to Father's John says they have nothing but beef & bread. Ma fed me up so high that I gained six pound in spite of my cold. When I told Aunt Frankie Good bye I told her she had cooked me many a good dinner. She said she was glad to do it, and hoped she would cook me many more. I was very much pleased with my visit and love them all as if they were my own blood relations. I think Mother is one of the best mother in the Confederacy Yes in this world. Oh! the house was so lonely when I first came home. I missed the children so much. And I almost came to the conclusion that when I went to house keeping I wanted to have a house full of them. I could scarcely blame Sis Sarah for saying she wanted three more. There is no one but Bud at home, and he is all the while in school. So I have it all my own way I learned to make your favorite pudding while I was over there, and when you come home my darling I'm going to have you one made. And by the way my Husband can't you come home and eat Christmas dinner with us. Ma says she wishes you / would. She says if you'll come she will write down for Cousin Mary & James and will make quite a family party Besides I'll have some of the pretty girls around here for you to look at, and court if you wish. Cousin James was saying that we should have to throw up to see where we should spend the Christmas they up here or we down there.
Miss Mary Bowen did not call on me while I was over, complained of a bad cold neither did Miss Mollie Gowerson. I'm "afraid" I'm not popular with your old sweethearts
Cousin Condle told me to tell you that she had no idea that your wife would only have been to see her once and that a pop call. like her very much If that isn't the greatest neighborhood for old maids I ever heard of. Why all of the young-old-ladies have a stiff swallowed-the poker, walk-a-chalk kind of look peculiar to that species of vinegar crewit called "old maid". I'm getting tiard my Darling and must close. I've got a complaint to make first though. Your papers too small and your letters too short. If you dont remedy this remedy this, I wont "remember the whiskers" My Darling, I send you a paper that has lately been started in Mobile. "Twill help to while away some few moments of the tedium of camp life. Ever your loving wife Nannie
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My Darling I wish you would give me as near as possible Bro Louis address. We are uneasy about him. Father saw in one of the papers T M Brysons name as killed in the last battle. Tom's is T. W. Bryson We are fearful that it may be a misprint