Warrenton Va July 31^st 1863

 

Dear and ever true Wife

                                    I received your kind letter of the 27^th last evenning I was glad to hear from you. I suppose bubby is well all tho you sayed nothing about him. how I do want to see the little man, and his Ma to I am glad you ar well as useual and I am happy to say I am to I do not know that I ever felt any better than I do now but God onley knows how long I will be blessed with such a blessing, for shurely it is one of the gratiest comforts of life you tell me you way 121 pounds I way 137 pounds. I guess it is doing us both good to sleep allone a year or two (do not you)/

 

I saw Samual Karr in the 86^th NY day be fore yestarday he is uncle Isaher Karrs Son Ma will know him. he has been wounded once but is all right now. he enlisted two years a go. he sayed that he would not of known me for I have changed so much for I was so much more healthy that it changed my looks all to gather. I yous to see him every Sunday and once or twise deuring the weak, and if I have changed in two years so that he would not know me, I wonder if you would know me if I should be gon that length of time from home. but Dear Wife I hope I shall not be gone over one year from my little home way down North in old Almond half way betwene Almond and Bakers Bridge in the little Yellow Hous where/ Sarah Ann and little Luie lives. what do you say a bout that Sis. I hate to be a bobbing a bout so much for every time we move the mail is delayed two or three dayes, and that discomfuddles me all up when I do not get my letters. Sarah pleas tell me whether you have wrote to me between the 22^nd and 27^th. I got one dated the 22 and ond one the 27^th and if you can tell me whether you wrote one between them two then you can tell whether all you write comes through. some times I will get two at a time and then I will not get one in a weak or two, but take it on an average I get two a weak. but Sarah do not think I blaim you for I do not. you know my letters do not come regular on account of the here not going out/

 

out and as the crabs each hold of it with theyr pinchers the boys would draw them in and throw them on the beach. you have seen the pictures of salt water crabs, theyr boddies or shells ar as large over as my hand, and theyr claws ar 8 inches long if one should get hold of a pursons fingar it would be nearly smashed if not quite. they ar dangerous burds to play with, but ar furst best to eat. Abby Tuckers Brother got some the other day and cooked them the way to cook them is to take a cettle of boilling water and put them in allive, for that is the onley way to kill one, and boil 15 minutes, at furst/ they ar green, but when don the shell is red, and the meat is white and looks like fishes meat and tastes like fish, and is called a vary Sucellant dish. there is all kinds of fish caught in the rivver, but the soaldiers ar not allowed to to go out on the rivver for fear that they will desurt there was two desurted in that way a few dayes a go. we ar much more suited with our new camp ground than the old one. the rebs ar 40 miles from us now. there was a man just come allong with a cart drawn by an ox, with two bushils of cherries, some eggs and milk, cherries 20 cents eggs 25, milk 20 cents. I had what cherries I wanted to eat, and a pint of/ milk which maid me a splended dinnar. now you might as well believe, and if you do not believe it you had better. the boyes keep a feching in Blackburies by the hat full. I porsume you will say well Albert has so many new things to see and there is so much a going on that he does not think of his home, nor does not want to come home, and had rather be off where he can do as he wants to. but my Dear Sarah I hope you will not have any such thoughts, for I would not give one cent to see all the South unless you wer with me. but I know that can not be so, and therefore I try, as I hope you do to pass away the time/ to the best advantage and in the pleasantest way possible. if deuring our sepperation, we look on the dark sid of every thing and take every thing hard, we shall be vary miserble and unhappy, so we must take every thing as it comes, and make the best of it, and lets both put our trust in God the supreme being and he will safely moor us through. and I trust we boath shall have a seat at his right hand, and may it be our happy lot to train up our little man in such a way that it will be pleasing to God and when he comes to dy he will have a seat in Heaven at Gods right hand. but I must end for this time. give my love to all, and remember me as your ever true Husband

 

                                                                                                Albert R Whitney

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