January the 29 1863

 

My Dear Wife it is thru the cind and tender mercey of God tht I mbrace the presant opertunity of adressing you a fiew lins to let you no that I am in tolerbel helth at this time and I truley hope when those fiew lins comes to hand tha will find you all well and doing well

 

Rittey Ann you wanted to no what is the reason that I did not be with James J. W. Smith was put in command of a squad and James went with him and our other boys said that I had to go on with them and cook for them and I hav cooked som and stood garde som I wrote that I was at the trusel work I am hear yet and I dont no whether I will go or not we hav got a tolerbel good place to stay at our boys is all well but William Baker and i heard that he was a dyeing that was the day before yestearday I hav not bin to see him yet our Capt. sent word to us that he did not want eney of us to come to houspittel because som of them has the small pocks /

I will in forme you that while I am ritting the news has come to me that William baker is dead and I am sorry to hear that he is dead tho I no that we all hav to die sooner or later and I no that if we dont be prepaird to meete our god at the Judgment Seat what is to be done with us oh we then will be cast in to darkness whear we will never be permited to se the face of God a gane thare we will be tormented forever and forever and on the other hand just view the pleasures that a Christian can hav oh view the Grim monster of deth and the Christian will say com welcom deth for I will gladdly go with you oh that blessing that God has be stoed on man it is a pleasure to me to read the words that our beloved Savior spoke when he said blessed are tha that sufer pursecutions for righteousness sake thare he gives us all that we nead to now and let us all try to be prepaired to meete our God when we come to die let us be more and more in Gaged in prair then we ever was in our lives and pray for each other that / that when we lay our bodies down to die that we can say as Fealix of old that it is good to wate upon the loard and oh what grate blessings is this when we look back at our past lives oh I hav don meney things contray to the will of God and I am compeld to acnoledg them be fore God and man and now my dear wife and children if I never liv to se you I want you all to try to meete me in a better land

 

now I must close for this time fare well

 

write soon as you get this letter fare well

John W. Sanders

Rittey Ann Sanders                

 

Rittey Ann I will send you a ring in this letter and I will

send one to Nancey Jane in the next letter I will rite one in

a fiew dayse tell Nancey Jane that I send my best respects

to her you must excuse my scribling for I hav to do this in

the nite by a fire and nothing to giv lite but som split wold /

 

Rittey Ann you must not put this ring in hot watter for if you do you will spoil it

SOURCES