suffolk va march the 17 1863

 

good morning to you my dear parents i thot that i wold try to rite a few lines to you to let you no that whe ar both well at the present time but how i wish i was thare with my wife and child i wood hav things suit me then for tha dont suit me now nor tha woont as long as she dos stay to mayville for she told me she wood stay with you till i come back home but if she dont i woont send woon sent of my money to her i want you to send me word whether she comes back or not if you plese to my dear mother i will tel you that our [?] had a fit to day about twelve mils from hier i dont now which did whip i do not git any news to rit to you if you git eney send me word if you ples for i shold lik to now what it is

 

mother you go and see betsey ann you tel her that i say if she dont stay with you that i woont send her wone sent of my money becas that that she wood not tel me a ly but i think she has but i hop she will think / what she rot to me but i hop that she will think what she rot to me in her leter for i now that if she stays to mayville she will be taken sick and dy then what will become of my litle child She must think about this as well as me if she dont com back and stay with you i will git drunk with my money this is tru it maks me feel bad what she rot to me about staying to mayville so if she want to see me again she must come back and stay with you now i will tel you that i want you to tel her that i want her to git all of my furnitur away from mayville not hav nothing thar if she dont i want you to let me now if you ples to tel her to git all of her money and put it in the bank and send me word how much she has got no mor this time good nit for this time this is from your soonne

 

Robert Jones to his mother and friends good nit for this time /

 

I Calculate of Darkies whe soon shall have our fill

with Abe Proclamation and the nigger army Bill

who would not be a soldier the union for to fight

now Abes last has made the nigger the Equal of the white

 

then fight for the nigger the sweet sented nigger

the wooly Headed nigger and the Aboliton Crew

 

Each soldier must be loyal and his officers obey

though he lives on hard tacks and fights without his pay

if his wife at home is starving he must not be Discontent

though he waits six months for Green Backs worth forty five per cent

 

then fight for the nigger the sweet sented nigger

the wooly Headed nigger and the Aboliton Crew

 

Moreover if you are Drafted do not refuse to go

you are Equal to a nigger and can make as good a Show

And when you are in Battle to the union be true

But dont forget the nigger is as good a man as you

 

then fight for the nigger the sweet sented nigger

the wooly Headed nigger and the Aboliton Crew

 

if orderd in to Battle go in without Delay

though slaughterd just like cattle tis your Duty to obey

for when old Jeff is captured prehaps paid up you may be

if you aint dont mind the money But set the nigger free /

 

three Cheers for honest old abe he'll be a great man yet

though he loaded us with taxes and burdend us with Dept

he often tells us little Jokes while pockiding our pelf

And his last has made the nigger the Equal of himself

 

then fight for the nigger the sweet sented nigger

the wooly Headed nigger and the Aboliton Crew

 

Guard well the Constituton the Government and its laws

to every Act of Congress dont forget to give applause

And when you meet the rebels be sure and drive them back

though you enslave the white man you must liberate the Black

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