St. Charles Louisiana April 11^th 1863

 

My Dear Mary.

                        I received your letter No 2 of March 14^th yesterday with the pictures, seads and a pease of the new dress all safe and in good order and have come up to the plantation to answer it and bring the seads. Sally is not here but Hannah will send them up to her she is a gouing to plant a few for herself. I gave a few to my friend the darkie Carpenter with the promace I should have some of the leavs I expect I shal send you some in a short time I have shown the picture to Marthy and Hannah they think madam looks pleasant and think it is a beautyful picture. so do I. I am seated in Hanahs parlor dineing and bedroom writeing on her table and have you letter and picture before me. I donot expect to write a very interesting letter today I was on guard last night and had to walk nearly all the time to kee the musquitoes from eating me up alive and when I went to bed at 2 they wer so thick in the tent it was like a swarm of bees they would get under the bar and sing around my head and I had about a leave be struck with a club I got so figety I could not sleep and it makes me feal sleepy and dumpus today but I am well and will try and write something. I think you made a prety good visite home. you didnot do as I should when you got to Taunton I should have went rite in. Susan had rather bad symtims I think by your discripcion but dont tell her I said so I have no fear of your forgeting me as long as you write every week and have our little Hattie to care for. as to your growing fleshy I am not in the least alarmed I think I can se by the picture / that you have grown fleshy since I last saw you and I think Hattie has I am satisfied it is as it should be at least as I want it at preasant I hope you will have a good time when you moove with the next male as to Granmas monthly visits I suppose they are somewhat troublesom but I would try and put up with her as she is old and not very childish I am not so shure about puting a stop to her comeing when I get home I shall want to se my old friends when I get home and I should not want to slite her. I can ashure you that I would like to be there and have meany a good time and go to meeting with you and my dear famely is on my mind all the time and I hope soon to meet you. I think Father is driveing a stout team but I am glad he is geting the colt so he can drive her. I am shure Charleses wife feals very bad from the parting sene I witnessed at Bridgeport when she started for home and he was to march the next morning. do you remember our meeting that night I think a number of such meetings would do me about as much good as eanything at preasent and I hardly beleive you would refuse to go about once or twice if I was ther and should give you an invitacion even if you had to bare half of the expence. I am glad Charles wife has so good a home have you paid her that $9.50 yet or gave it to Father to give to her in preasance of witnesses and put down the date do you se Johns wife and how is she. I like to se the spirit that Henry Erwin manifests but I like the comforts of home I beleive I must make you another ring of cole I ware one I made it is very nice. I am glad you have received your money have you got the $10 and the $40 by express. I think Hattie has quite a nest egg and hope it may increace and that she may grow up to make a good use of it. tell her to be a good girl 

 

Mary you can hardly imagine how much I doo want to be at home to help you bring her up and if I ever do get there I hope there may never eanything arise to mar the joys we antissipate in each others society and I hope she may become that lovely woman I would have her be and have the sweet dispyicion of her dear mother. I am glad you had money enough to pay your dets and have some left. I think you have got a very nice dress and I should think by the picture it loocke nice on you I think I will take the liberty to put my had on it and se how it fits. it is so warm now I donot ware my night cap and if you was here I dont beleive you would ware a goun a great while. I should like one made of cast steel then when the musquitoes stuck their bills threw I would rivet them down on the inside and then I should have them I have not shaved yet but come very near it last Sunday but finely cut the ends of the strainer off of my uper lip with my sisors and let it grow and think I shal till I get home I am glad if you have a picture of Hattie alone and thank for sending yours and hers to me take good care of yourselvs and be as well when I come home as you look to be in the picture I have receive the box the socks are just what I wanted and just in time I had some tiptop pies out of the apples and buries and have nearly one left now. I think we shal have eany quantity of buries here the coock will make them for 5 cts a pease if we pick the buries or to halvs and sell his half for 10 cts a pease I paid him 20 cts for makeing mine I hope I shal get where I can have pies made becaus the coock loves to make them some day. Figs are as large as walnuts with the shuck on. I have sene nothing of Kates letter or Ems the last befor thiss from / you was March 23 there is so meany troops above here it is slow geting a mail after the steamer arrives. I think they made a mistake when they laid down the principle productions of this state I think it should have ben Darks Aligators snakes and musquitoes it is perfectly horred I beleive if a man was to stand in a tent in the night naked and his hands at liberty they would kill him I beleive I should rather face a canon. I feal today as if I had ben thrashing a grist of rye to go to mill in a hot day. I would rather live where the snow was 8 feet deep 14 months in a year if I had enough to eat than to be in this warm place and be tormented by the varmits that belong hereabouts

 

11 oclock Sabbath morning the 12 the mail leavs here today and I must finish this letter it is a beautyful morning rather warm for comfort oh Mary how I wish I could be at home and se it as pleasant as it is here so early in the spring we had a little shour yesterday that is all the rain we have had in two weeks and the water is geting out of the diches very fast the roads are dry. how I would like to go to meeting with you today. I am in my bunk under the bar with nothing on but my shirt and drawers we have raised up our tent about 18 inches and have a very nice house. we have prayeres here by ourselvs every night and enjoy ourselvs as well as we can so far from home John seams like a brother to me. I have ben reading over some of your old letters today and loocking at your loved face I have it standing up before me I want to take you in my arms. Good by Mary

                                   

From Edwin to Mary

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