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Blenheim October 24th

Sunday morning [1864]

Well my lady-love do you know

that it has been almost three weeks

since the arrival of your last letter

to me, and two weeks since I answered

it, and not a line have I had from

you since, no nor a word from either

Pa or Sis since the 9th of the month.

you all must think I am dead, buried,

and forgotten, at least you quite forget

that I get the blues horribly shut up here

in the country when none of you write

to me. I got a letter from Ma on Friday

last the very first letter I had had from

anyone for 10 days, or from anybody

but her for 16. I have no correspondents this

year at all except you all & you ought to

write to me often. And pray miss what are

you so occupied with that you can't find

time to write, friend [?] or your

poor dear wounded Willie. I hear through

a letter from Aunt Bec to Ma that you

have spent the day with her, & thro' Mrs

Stewart that John Tabb was at church

with you and [?] Powell. I suppose

you have not been so quiet that you

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had nothing to write about and I

am just disposed to be charitable

towards you at all, so if you want to

get into my good graces you had better

set yourself right down & write me

two or three good long letters. Mother

writes me that Willie Dupuy is at

home wounded in the shoulder &

Capt Watkins in the hand but neither

of them dangerously, however. I suppose

you have heard all about them, tis not

worth while for me to tell you, and

I reckon Willie will manage to see

Miss Nina before he returns to the army.

Have you ever heard anything from

Mr. [?] since you went down

in the cars with him, Sis seemed to

think you are decidedly smitten.

Well I suppose as you are so long writing

to me you hardly care to hear what I

have been doing, so I have a great mind

not to tell you, and in fact I hardly

quite know where to begin it has been

so long but just for my own gratification

I will try. Mr. Willis Hobson has three

South Carolinians at his house, sent from

the hospital, they have been there a long

time very sick & are just now getting

well enough to visit about. One of them

is a Col Dogan, without exception

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the rudest, most boisterous, vulgar

man I ever saw, well yesterday week

I heard his voice down stairs &

knew he had come to stay all day

so I dressed myself, slipped out the

back way and went over to old

Mrs. Hurt's to spend the day. I had a

very pleasant day indeed, I found

her [?] an exceedingly intelligent

agreeable girl, I took to her very much

indeed & I think she did to me, but

she has just lost her father so the vis-

iting will have to be all on my side

for a while. When I get back in the [?]

ing here was Col D still & he staid until

Wednesday. Sunday I went down to Eman-

ual and saw Fannie, she was as sweet & Cordi-

al as ever, she seemed so glad to see me & says

she is coming up for me soon some Fri-

day evening. Monday night Mr. [Reich?] a

Marylander belonging to the 3rd Cavalry

staid here all night. I found him a

very agreeable gentleman I forgot to

say that Sunday while we were at din-

ner Mrs. W. Hobson came over & brought

her Cousin young Bolling, son of Mr. Robert

Bolling of Fauquier, and brother of [H?]

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McGuires old friend of Philadelphia Dr. B

and Mr. Venning one of the S.C. especial-

ly to see me and I enjoyed their visit

very much indeed. Mr. Bolling is only

18 but he is six feet tall very handsome

and very agreeable. Mr. V sings very well

and is a quiet gentlemanly widower but

nothing remarkable. Tuesday evening Mrs.

H sent a horse for me & I went over there &

staid all night, and then saw the third

D.C. a Dr. [Waring?] a married man, and

one of the most accomplished elegant

gentlemen I have ever met with. I

came home on horseback Wednesday morning

in time for school & when I came out of school

found Cousin John here. He says if it is good

weather next Friday he is coming up to take

me down to his house to stay until Sun-

day where I will come home with the Dr.

from church. Thursday all the gentlemen

from Mr. H's spent the day here, and Fri-

day Mr. P left this county, but he is a paroled

prisoner and if he is not exchanged soon

will come back. Friday evening Mrs. H & my-

self walked over to Mrs. Goodmans one of

our nearest neighbors & I paid my first

visit there, and her son who went down

in the cars the day you did with Bill

Stewart, walked home with me. He is a plain

honest, good, solider, but not over burdened

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with [?]. He says he is coming over to see me this week

and going to bring his pistol for me to practice shooting with

but I doubt whether he does. By the way have you ever been able

to get cartridges for your pistol, if you have I wish you would

get some for me, & if you haven't get John Tabb to look for some

for you & me too, I have only two & I want some very much.

And now, I come to the very purpose for which my let-

ter is written which is to tell you that Dr. Hobson is going

to Richmond this week, probably on Tuesday, the same day

this [letter?] will go, but I shall send this by mail,a s there

will be a chance of your getting it sooner, & I shall send

you by him the handkerchief, collar, & short [?] for your

silk dress & a little of my perfume but it did not turn

out well, it will I think do to put in hair oil but that is all.

[sideways across page 2]

The Dr. will stay at Mr. Stewart for about two days I reckon

so if you have gotten cartridges & have a chance I wish

you would send me some by him. Have you made your

alpaca dress yet & how did you make it particularly

the sleeves. I have not picked mine yet nor considered

what to do with it, but Minna Booker is to be married the

4th of next month & I think I must make it by that

time. I had a present sent me the other day of 3 yds

of unbleached cotton to make a chemise. I have done

nothing lately except patch a few old clothes & knit

on my [opra?] stockings for [?] [?] in fact

I have nothing to do. Well I believe I have exhaust-

ed myself of my subjects too so I will stop, but

mind I expect two letters in answer to this. I am

very anxious to know what Mother will do, and

rather hope she will go to Albemarle, tho' I should

like her to be near you, or I think we could go to

see her there. Write soon to your own loving

Sister Hattie

Monday. Dr. H's is so unwell today he thinks he will not

be able to go to Richmond this week and don't know when

he will go so I shall not be able to send your things yet. I

got an invitation yesterday to Minna's wedding next Thurs-

day week. I am much inclined to go, if the Dr. Don't for-

bid which he seems to be inclined to do. Mrs. H is very anx-

[Sideways on page 3]

ious that I should go. If I go I shall want my new

dress & shall have to set to work immediately to make

it, so if you have a new dress patter, send it to me by

mail at once, I can get a pattern of the [yoke?] come-

ing [waist?], Mag Harris has it. Yours truly,

H.L.P.