Oct the 6 Incamped near the

Weldon Railroad V^a

 

Friend Mollie it is with pleasure that I find my self trying to write a few lines to you This morning finds me feeling some better than I have for the past few days I received your very kind & welcome letter a few days ago & should of answered it sooner but have not ben able so you will pleas excuse me & I will write as often as I can & if I should not answer all of your letters as soon as I get them you must not wait for me for us soldiers can not always write when we would like to & we prise a letter from from friends above every thing else. since I wrote to you last we have moved about twelve miles but I was not able to march / They let me ride we are abuilding a fort at least our Company is I am not on duty yet it is very warm down here & quite sickly Heman is at the hospital I have not heard from him in some time. we have drawed our pay so I hardly know where to direct this Mary ann told me to direct my next to her at millfort so I guess I will send one to her & put this in to it if you are not there she can send it on I got a letter from Nan yesterday they were all well I hardly know what to write that will be intersting & I do not no as you can read what I have wrote for I lay flat on my back & my hand trembles so that I can not make a strate mark you say that you do not wish me to think that your oliver / lived by guareling I do not any such thing for I never thought that you would make a woman that would quarel very bad with any body & I am glad that you have got a kind man for a husband I think that you are right about our knowing better how to appreciate one another for I can see where I could of done diferant a good many times but a man does not know how to prize a woman until he has ben deprived of their society I often think what would our country be if it was not for women we should soon be worse than heathens I have not seen a woman to speak to since I left home the first of last march but it is some consolation to corespond with them I wish that this / war would close so that we could go home to our familys & I do think that it can not hold out much longer but there is a great many widdows & orphans now & probly there will be a good many more before it is ended but it has got to be fought out now & the sooner it is ended the better Mary I often think of other days when we were all young folks together & our country in peace & now we have familys & have to go & leave them it seems hard but I had rather it would be me than for my boy ever to have to go for it is a hard place & a man that comes out all right has got to have good morals & strong resolutions it will be the ruin of a good many men but I can not think of any thing more you will pleas excuse me this time & I will try & do better next time you must write as often as you can if I can get my photograph taken down here I will send you one for the ones that I have to home are not good ones but if I can not I will send one of them if you go east nan will exchange with you & if you do not she will send them but I will close hoping soon to hear from you I remain as ever

your Friend D. G. Pierce

To Mollie S Shibly

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