Miss                           

Ocean Springs Miss   

July 3^thd 1864

 

My Dear Brother

                        I arrived at home three days since accompanied by M^rs Henry & my dear Sister Jennie we found your letter of the 10^th waiting for me & I assure you it was with the greatest pleasure that we eagerly read it as it was fater than any received by either of us & we were very anxious about you I had a letter from Jennie yesterday evening saying that she found a letter from you bearing a date three days later than mine but as we have late information of fighting along the front up to the 23^thd yours the letters received do not releave the cause of anxiety but serves rather to increase it. I suppose you know that I have been in Handsboro three weeks as a companion of your Jennie's while Mrs H & Laura / were gone up to Lawrence. Dear Brother I cannot express my thanks in words to you for having given me such a sweet Sister to say that I approve your choice would but fervently express my feelings on the subject I love her dearly & her place her in my heart is second only to your own. I confess that I was not prepossessed in her favor & when first I met her determined not to like her. Why? you will ask. because I felt that you would love her & I saw that she was not indiferent to you & knowing as I did that she was engaged to another, I hated her & blamed myself for having been instrumental in throwing you in each others company but now I bless the providence that ordained it thus Jennie says she loves me & I believe she does but complains that I treat her coldly & with lack of confidence & this distresses me not a little I never was intentional cold to her but it is my misfortune not to be able to express my / love except in actions & I vainly thought that I should be as well understood by all my friends as I know I am by my Brother, but I find that I am sadly mistaken & shall be oblige to wait untill Jennie knows me better & then she will doubt my love no more & indeed were it not for this to me precious hope I should be very unhappy I suppose Jennie has written of her intended trip to Mobile she insists that I must go with her & when I objected on account of my inability to bare my share of the expense she was hurt & said surely your Brothers wife has a right to do as she pleases at least in this matter what could I do misunderstood again. I assured her that I appreciated her kindness. why not go with me then if you love why object to being under obligations to me if you will so consider it. I told her I would go so to Mobile I am going. I wish you would tell me how I am to talk & act so as to be understood / in future you know my faults please tell me how I am to correct them & I will try.

 

Oh My darling Brother

it adds not a little to my many heartaches to know that you are so far from home exposed not only to the mercy of a merciless foe but also to the weather & to know that you are not happy wrings my poor heart. I would not have you ponder over our home troubles they are not half what you have to bare true we have but little of the necessaries of life but we have a roof over our heads we have health & hope true we know not where we are to obtain the next surply of breadstuff just at this moment but my faith in God is strong he will not suffer us to starve I have seen starvation much nearer than at present but God has always opened a way for our salvation & I believe he will not let us suffer now, so do not let this add to your suffering. we cannot always be cheerfull I know / & therefore & cannot talk & write in as cheering a strain to our soldiers as I think it is our duty to do if we are not always cheerfull do O do not let the thoughts of our troubles pray so on your mind I do not say that I do not want you to sympathise with us I should find it very hard indeed to keep hope alive did I not know that you think of us & truly sympathise with us. Although your last letter by its sad tone has caused many very many tears to be shed I have read it & cried over it untill it would be uninteligible to other eyes than mine although I say this it has been a great source of comfort to me. I feel that I have received a new surply of hope & confidence—Brother thinks of us & I love to fancy that our tears have flown together. I know that your tears are not real salty rain like mine but are a great deal more significant because they are shed in your heart but the thought is very precious to me however / foolish it may appear to others but enough of this indulgence of soul fancies

                                                                       

When we came from H the other day the ferry across Old fort Buyen was broken consequently we could not cross in the carriage so we drove up to Mr Plumers & asked to leave the mule & carriage he was very polite & kind & said certainly so having left June in good quarters we went back to the ferry & crossed in Johns boat & walked up home next morning I went with Mrs. H & J— as far as the ferry & as they objected to my crossing I bid them good by & Jennie writes me that she made quite an impression on the ancient heart of Mr. Plumer so much so that he told her that he would like her to marry some of the young gents of his neighborhood & said if she had no objection he would send the finest one up to see her She assented of course to his proposal & enquired the gentleman / & who do you think he said no other than your dear self. dont I love the old fellow for his good opinion I beleave I will tell him that I do next time I see him

                                                                       

Brother I am so glad that Col Hunter has so nobly redeemed his character & I feel proud of you for your candor in telling him that you were sorry for having said he was a coward Oh I should liked so much to have seen you as you spoke I do behold the scean in fancy but should realy been presant. I have much very much to be proud of in you my precious my noble Brother & quite agree with Jennie in thinking that the world contains not your equal. I expect that you are tired of this letter the longest I ever have written & as my fingers are very tired I shall stop all join me in sending lots of love to our dear Brothers Write soon & write long letters to

                                                                       

Your Affectionate little

"Sis" 

 

PS

            Please deliver the enclosed note to Major P— if of course you approve it after having read it & please tell L^t Jeter that he owes me a long letter & that I think he has treated me badly in not having written ere now. Polly calls out give my best Spects to Marse John if you are writing to him Good by God bless you Hoping to hear

                                                                       

Very soon from you I am Yours lovingly

 "Little Sis"

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