…hear I will comence

 

Rebels and ceep untill tha be whiped out and let them work for goverment untill the ware is over and then let them be set free and put too them selvs as a nation and let them stay to them selvs. my desier is that I may liv untill the ware is ended and that the South and north will lay down thare armes and comes to gether like brothers and that tha may all be of one mind and one sperrit we dont now hardly hoo is our friends and we hav inimes that is a frad to let them selvs be none I now I hav som and tha / I think that tha will be found out and I will straten those men when I se them now Rittey Ann I want you to do the best you can and dont get out of harte and tell the children that I send my lov to them tell them I want to se them vary bad and tell them to be good children and go to choole and learn to rite me a letter so that I can now how well tha are a learning and let me no how smarte tha are and then I want to now how prettey tha can rite I want to no hoo is a teatching Choole now and what at per scholer and a peece oh you dont / now how bad I want to se you all and if I never se you all in this flesh I hope and pray that we will liv in this world so that when we come to die that we may meet each other in heven thare we will not each and we will not hav to bee at ware with eatch other thare we will hav pleasure for ever and ever oh may this be our prairs day and nite I must now close for this time

 

write soon and often

 

fare well for a while

 

            John W. Sanders

            Rittey Ann Sanders

                        tell Nancey Jane that I send my best respects to her and want her to rite

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