Spring Hill May 24 1862
Dear Uncle George—I hardly
know how to comence this letter to you I fell so happy to hear from you &..to hear that you are better Uncle Reuben Recd a letter from you while at Cincinatti on your return home & you dont know the sorrow and anxiety we have underwent since then But the mail of this afternoon brought to hand a letter from you to Pa in which you say you are better & at home! We are all well at pressent & hope this, will find you nearly, or quite well, also your family! I wrote a letter to you about 3 weeks ago but I suppose you never received it so I concluded to try my luck again, it being late I bid you good night to resume in the morning.
May 25th Morning
it is a beautiful morning and every thing seems refreshed with slumber, and is putting forth every energy to make as much music as posible, the birds of every variety are warbling their sweetest notes as I sit here & write, and the sun is shining as only a may sun can shine, I should like p to peep in and see how you are this morning but that being imposible I shall have to content myself with writing to you! (that being a great consolation)/
I should like to see you very much and have a long visit, but I ant able, it being a very bad time of year for a farmer to leave home and a time when money is scarce but if I have my health I intend coming out & seeing you this fall If you are at home; I cant bear to think of you returning to the army for the thought of your being killed by the enemy or of disease to me is almost maddening Having never seen you since I was a very small boy It has always been my greatest desire to do so, and the thought of never having an opportunity makes me feel sick! Oh Uncle If I had some trophe taken by you from the battlefield Oh how I should prise it, Gold would not Purchase it, nor would any thing separate it from me but death. I will bid you good bye this time as pa is a going to write some so farewell. Please write soon and let us know how you are! Yours Truly with respect from your ever remaining friend & Nephew
E. P. Browning
to
G. W. Browning
Spring Hill
Sundy Morning May 25th 1862,
My Dear Brother Geo & Wife
Joy & gladness
has filled everry hart in our family on the Receipt of your kind letter which came to hand last night. We joy with you on your Return to Your Home & loved wons. we are verry sorry that you had to undergo Sickness & privations in this dredfull Struggle but there is a providence in it. God only knows how it will end. Gladly would i except your invitation to viset you if i could but circumstances are against me. i have been Bilding and finishing a House which cost me allmost twelve hundred Dollars & i owe about one hundred Dollars that i have not got the mony to pay—that would not matter if i had the money to bear my expences; I have grain & cattle to Sell but no Byers. my Horses i could sell for three hundred Dollars but we cannot well do without them espessially at that price. My Horsses & Boys are my/team, for i am about Broke down with Sickness & hard work i am now suffering with violent headache which has lasted me 48 hours. Reuben talks of coming to See you. He is Able. i shall do all i can to get him to come i hope & trust that God will Spare you & your family that we may viset togather again Huldah, Parker & Clarance have a great anxiety to see you all. we are Seperated in Boddy but our minds follow you. Parker has wrote one letter & i have written three to you & one to your Wife. tht you have made no mention of. i have been verry thankfull to Receive & prompt to answor your Letters. Pleas write on the Receipt of this. What is your Boys Name how mutch dos He way. dose He ware Pants. Oh Geo how much would i rejoyce to meet you and Wife & Boy at Smithborough with my team to bring you to our house. We had a hard frost hear last night it killed the vines in our garden and Pumpkins in the field. i can not give you many detales now. you mus excus me for my head akes verry bad write often. write to Parker he is not that little Boy you used to see, he is allmost/