West Point      July

 

            Dear Grace

                                    I now sit down to converse with you with pen and paper allthough I am fearfull it will be a poor communication it has been so long since I have written. I scarcely know how to begin. But I feel as if I must not be so negligent for perhaps we shall never talk with each other face to face again on earth But I hope we will meet in heaven; where there will be no more parting We were very much supprised to here that disease had laid its ravishing hand so heavily upon your mother we were flatering ourselves that she would be out here this fall and we still live in hopes that she will be able to come we think it would be a benefit to her. there’s a man that lives in sight of our door which came from York state/a  few years ago the Physicians all said that he had the consumption and no help for him he is now a healthy man he told me a short time ago that he wuld not been a living if he had not come west I never was as fleshy in Old [hebron?] as I am now 1,40 was my weight last winter havent lost much fat since; I should like to know where you spent the fourth and what was going on back East The young folks round here went to [Denmark?] there was a military performance; We had a burlesque on Jeff Davis; a company of about twenty five dressed up in worst looking clothes that could be thought of and had the meanist [?] that ever was thought of and had a sham fight with the Union Troops I never saw any thing gone up in better shape

 

                                                                                                                        Wel, [?] it has been some time since I commenced this letter to you, but I think that you will excuse me when you read we have ben very busy drying and caning Cherries we had eight or ten bushel; we dried/all we could and gave the remainder away and for three weeks there wasent a day but what we had company so you may imagine that we had some work to do It is very exciting times here now the most of our men are enlisting in the army young and old all leaving their families and we are afraid that all will have to go. We have a good many secessionists here amonst us we are so near Missouri that we expect to se some trouble the rebels have crossed the line once but was drove back by our troops and lost only one man I should like to know whether you are as bad of as the young ladies are here there beaus have gone and enlisted we have got nothing but there pictures to look at that is some consolation I Reckon I have no news to write at present only that we are all well. Charles folks and us went after Black berries yesterday we went twelve miles got one Berry a piece but we had some fun so it paid verry well

 

                                                                        Please write and let us know how your mother is and mother as soon as you get this if you could write a few lines , write

                                                                                                                        From H. Root

                                                                                                                        to Gusta

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