.MjU5.Mzcx

{Letter 1} August th 16 ‘63 Dear sister it is with the gratis plesure that I write to you this beautiful morning to let you know that I am well a gain and hope that when thies few lines comes to hand tha will find you all well and in the best of helth Sister I reseived a leter from you a fryday when John came to camp I was very glad to here from you your leter gave mee a grate deal of plesure I thought you had forgoten mee but I find it was bee cos you was not at home & the unions you sent mee was a fine treat tha are spleen- -did & tha are something that I am very fond of I wish tha was more of them sis you ought to of seen mee last weak I had the fatis chin that ever you saw in your life it was as big as five chins ought to bee I could not eat anything for several days [page 2] it got hard and I had it cut open and it got beter in a few days it is in tirely well now and I feel first strate a gain Sis I rote to you a bout those close I sent home from New town I want you to rite to mee a bout them the next leter you rite to mee There was a black cloth coat and my blew overcoat and a sher and too [likeness?] I gave them too Jim [deanes?] he ust to work for white and [?] sis try and find out what did become of them and rite to mee I would of liked to bin at home at the time John was there but it was impossable but I will try and get home this winter and there wee will have a fine time the band talks of coming to Bridge wat this fall and if wee do wee will have a fine time if tha dont I will come my self if wee dont go to the south west but there is not much chance for it [page 3] sis there is no plesure in the army at this line but I hope wee will bee at home this winter to stay I hope this war will bee at a end till christmas then wee will bee a hapy notion a gain sis I want you to tell mee all the news when you rite to mee John could not tell mee any thing a tall I want to know what you all are doing and how you are geting a long you stated that Mat was a goin to leav town where is she goin to tell her to not leav town that wee will have a nother dance this winter and then she will mis the [?] if she leavs town tell Mat wee had Apple dumplins yesterday and had lassis to eat over them wee are geting as fat as pigs and nothing to do wee are camped near orrange corte house wee had a hard storm here last weak it blowd up trees in camp it killed too men in our [page 4] Brigade to sister Jane Dear sister I went and saw a bout Jennies money and his caption told mee that you in the first plase you would have to get three disinterres- -ted men and tha would haf to go before a magistrate and swar that you was the proper one to giv one of them the bower to draw it I would of got it if I could but I had not the power to get it well I must close for the presant my love to all Hiley E. Hatfield to Jennie

{Letter 2} [page 1] September the 10 ‘16 Camp near orange C. House Dear Sister it is with grate plesure that I ancer yours of the 5th it came to hand the 9 and it found mee well and in the finest of spirits I am trewly glad to hear tha you are well and in the best of helth I am very sory that Mother is unwell I hope she will soon be well I would like to see her and all the rest of you but I dont reckon I will get home this side of chrismas but if I live will try and get home this winter I wish that I could stay at home with you all the time then I would bee as hapy as a cricket but there is no chance of it closing yet a while but if it dont close this winter it will serteny stop next sumer. you stated that there was a nother weding this winter well I would like to have hand in it if is a greeable I wouldnt bee ser prised if I dont have one of my one this winter there is only one thing that [?] that is this she wont say yes Tell Cooke that if she dont hery and get maried that I will try and beat her there is no time for fooling I will get maried the first chance but I am a fraid that the time will never come Mat is a going to Poete well she will fine Poete a hard plase bur she will not stay there long then till the war is over and then she will leav and go in a nother state that state is the state of Matrimony Sis I want you to tell mee if you dident get the leter that I directed to you to Burks Mill and the one that I rote to Pole and why she dont ancer it sis there is some reason that my leters dont come but I cant tell for my life [page 2] why it is I have riting severl that was not ancered be shore to tell Jen Pole to rite to mee and let mee hear from him sis tell pap to make all the chars that he can till I get home and then I will help him all I can and when this war is over wee will hav fair [?] nothing more at the presant but still remain your brother Hiley

ab V. B. Band 48th Va [Bidg?] 2 brigade in care of [Commd?] [Pringer?]

sister you stated in your leter that I should do as I pleas a bout joining Caverly well I think if wee want to gain our independence and get this war to a close wee haf to all go in the field and use the sword and the banet more then wee hav a for my self I am willing to face the balls to save you from being insulted by the in fernal yankey for if wee dont gain our independence wee will bee [ruined?] for ever never will I giv up to them rite soon I will rite more the next time Hiley

{Letter 3} [page 1] September the 13 ‘63 Camp near orange C. House Dear sister with grate plesure I ancer your leter which I reseived last evening was very glad to here from you yours found me well and in the best spirits I am glad to no that you are well nothing in the world gives mee more plesure then to know that you are in good helth and in fine spirits I maled a leter yester day and I was a shamed to send it it was so badly riting that I thought you could not read it but I sent it any how you must excuse that one but if you cant read it you can tell who it is from sis there is no news to rite every thing is so still in camp that wee dont get to here any news a tall I herd that wee had whiped the yankeys at Charlston last weak but whether it is so or not I dont know but I hope it is so sis there is [not?] a bit of plesure here in this war and I am a geting very tired of it I want [page 2] it stoped some way or other there is no use of its going on so long but I am in grate hopes that it will setel this winter and let us all come home and go to our work again and liv in peas once more sis there is a very heavy cloud coming up and I think wee will get some rain I wish it would rain for ever nead rain wee have not had any for a long time. Sis when you ancer this leter tell mee if you got a leter writing with red ink and if you could read it. you neadent to ancer it but ancer this one and tell mee if you got it sis tell Sister Jane to tell Henry to bee at home when I come for I want him to go to [J.?] B. with mee and sta till I leav and wee will hav a nise time there and tell him to hav some nise aples till I come home and wee will hav some nise dumplins to eat well sis I am at a los to [page 3] no what to rite it is the first time that I could not study up what to rite but the next I rite I will tell you all the news tell pap that there was a man that wanted to by his House and lot but the prise dont suit him tell him if I dont get in Caverly I will pay some on his House and lot but if I join Caverly it will take all the money I can rase to by a horse but I will make more in a month there then I will in too here and then I will he- -lp him all I can and as soon as I get home then I will help him all I can sis I just re- -seived to Peters from B. town and I tell you there was something in them tha was from the prestiest Girls in town but I shant tell you the names at the presant I get a leter every evening and some times too and tell you it helps mee busey a riting but I will rite [page 4] as long as I can get paper paper is very hy here a sheet and envelope cost thirty sent be sides the stamp but ther is plenty of confedert money and I dont care how much it costs. Sis wee hav the best swing that ever you saw on your life as soon as I close then I will take a swing well I must close it is getting dark Nothing more I still remain your trew Brother. my love to all rite soon and tell mee al the news [Hiram?] E. Statfield V. B. Band 48th Va [ridge?] 2 Brigade in care of [?] [Dungen?]

{Letter 4} [page 1] December the [11th?] ‘63 Camp [Martins?] [Foarde?] Dear Sister I reseived yours of the 6 this morning and was very glad to here from you yours found mee well and in fine spirits but I am very sorrey to tell you that I cannot get home at chrismas I would like to join you in your sport and plesure but there is no chance bit mabey there will bee a chance this winter I hope you will will hav a plesant time at chrismas I hope you will enjoy your self finley but I will haf to take a soldiers plesure that day I suppose you know what a soldiers plesure is it is a [page 2] seting over a smokey fier and not half a [?] to eat and half frose to deth that is the plesure that wee hav and that fine sport wee hav not yet went in to winter quarters but wee expect to move to morrow and then wee will build houses Yest wee had a hard fite to day too weaks a go but wee whip the yankeys out and that went back tha was in a bout fifty yards of mee at one time golley I thought I would go up the spout I thought a bout going to Washington citty but the gay old club beat them back sis I dont think I can go for the [fidler?] at chrismas. Tell B. he will haf to go him self this time [page 3] tell Salley Snider that she must not hav a dance till I come home and then wee will hav a nise time but tell her that I dont kno when I will get home but she will see mee when I get there sis I rote a little note to you the other day to send mee something to eat well if you can I wish you would for chrismas treat but if you cant it dont make eny difference you can cend them by John [smal?] he is coming down in a short time dont for get to send some molasses if you send eny thing & tell beck turry that I will rite to her some of thies days if it [page 4] dont sno tell her that Rasbery is well wants to see her there is no news of eny importance to rite I saw John this morning he is well he ses you dont rite to him he sends his love to you & sis tell pap that I would like to see him I recon he is getting a long very well at tha presant but if this war was over wee could do some thing I hope it will close one of thies days sis you stated that my cloths had come well I want you to rite to mee and tell mee if all I rote to you a bout has come rite soon and tell mee all a bout them well I must stop [?] [?] [Margins] dont look form mee at chrismas or you will look in vane I am very mutch a blige to you for the stamps you sent mee pleas excuse this bad riting

{Letter 5} [page 1] Camp near Brownesburg Miss Giny Feb 20th 1864 Most Highly Esteemed friend I venture to drop you a fiw lines all though you may treat them with scorn and contempt. But believed it is my honest desire to make your acquantens and Keep up a corrispondance with you and have no other designs in writing to you than to form an acquaintance with one I asteem so highly. I must acknowledge that you have made deep impression upon my mind But I suppose as I am a soldier and a stranger you will treat my not with contempt But I am candid in what I say and it is with the present feelings of the human heart that I address you if you except these fiw lines I hope you will not delay in answering my note or if you refuse my letter I hope you excuse me for my Boldness yours with respect Virginia Hatfield S. B. [Arbogast?] [page 2] P. S. Direct your letter to company as 18th Right Va Cavalry [Imbidens?] Command