Home July, 23^rd 1863

 

Dear cousin

          with pleasir I seat my self afternoon to answer your letter that I recieved long enough ago to have answered it a dozen times. but I have much to do as the men are working at our house I expect they will get done next week O Sarah did old Morgan scare you away from your home or not the Home Guards all went from here. Wes and Al said if they got to go down to Salem they were going out to see you all but they only got to go as far as Michell they stayed there four days and then was ordered home. Wes said he would have down to see / but he was taken sick and could not come go I wish he could have went to see you all. he did not get to see old Morgan, but I think the old fox will be caught yet. I wish I could have been at Salem that day when he eat dinner there I think I should have him something in his dinner so he would not have felt like riding so fast soon again But there is other men as mean as him and here in our own state too they Coppeheads are just as mean as him evry bit. they are drilling here evry Saturday. the whole Booker set from begining to ending except pap and Bill H Booker some of them would not give their names or ages to the enrolling officer. Bill Martz said he would kill him if he come back there again. they say they wont go if they drafted we will see about that /

 

when Wes was coming home from Crawfordville with some of the Wallace Blues, John Booker overtook them Wes said, How are you John but he never so much as turned his head to look at him, just because he went to drive old Morgan out of Indiana if it was not for the Union men I would want him to come through here and take ery thing they had I would be glad to see them.

 

But Sarah if you was here I could tell you so much about the old buttenuts. I would love to see you so well and see Lissy and Clarkie take a romp. Clarkie has got to be quite a man he wears pants you ought to see him. when his pa come home from Michell Clarkie asked him if he shot old Morgan. Martha made him a flag and he will take it and when the men comes in wave it saying three cheers for the red / white and blue, but I hope it wont be long before the boys can come home and then we can see each other talk that will be better than to write. I must have a little chat with Julia

 

                                                                                                so Goodbye

 

            write soon                                           your loving cousin

                                                                                    Rhoda

 

                                                                                                            Well Julia you wrote

to the girls that if I did not write before long you would come up and tend to me. if I thought that would bring you up I would not write at all if you got here I think you would get in a good humor

 

O Julia I wish you could have been here the 4^th of July we had such a nice time. the ladies of Darlington presented the Wallace Blues with a nice flag. we made a dinner and got over a hundred dollars. I must get some more paper or I cant write no more

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