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Mt. Pleasant Aug. 27th 1862

My own Dear Brother,

It has been sometime since I have written a letter to anybody & I feel as if I ought to write to you as you are generally so good about writing. Sister Sue received your letter a few days after it was written & we were all very much surprised to find that you had received the box so soon. We might have sent you some other kinds of vegetables if we had know how soon it would have reached you but were afraid tomatoes & such things would spoil. Sister Maria made the Catsup & gave it to Brother Dick but he couldn't carry a box & Ma took it & sent to you. Brother Dick staid about a fortnight. He looked right thin & coughed right badly when he came up. But said he fattened nearly a pound a day & was afraid to weigh before he went away. He got several new recruits from amomg the prisoners while here for the troop. Hal Edmunds was one. Henry [Ewin?], Frank Womack etc. Hal & one or two others went down with him horse back. His horse had given out so that he had to get a new one. He & Mollie & I went to Brother's & staid two or three days & Lou Edmunds came with us home & staid here ten or twelve days. John Venable has been sick at Brothers ever since the battles before Richmond with some thing like dysentery. He looks very thin & seems to grow worse instead of better, but is so cheerful & uncomplaining that we would hardly think him sick. We feel very uneasy about him. He has altered so that very few people know him. He looks like Charley Daniel used to. Lou & I went to see Sister Kate & found Cousin Martha Scott & Cousin Paulina Daniel there. Cousin P. said Abe was getting about & she expected would soon be back to his com pany again. I hope it will be your time to come home then but I hope you wont have to be sick to get home. Cousin Paulina said they were expecting to have John at home soon he hasn't been home at all & has been in service 15 months. Sister Maria came by on her way from Charlotte last saturday & took Lou home. She had been to see Charles Hundley who is very ill with fever. He has been sick some time & is delirious all the time. Bob Shepard son died last Saturday with the same kind of fever. We haven't had much sickness in the neighborhood but there has been a great deal through the country. Ma has been quite well this summer & so has the whole of Mr. Redd's family with the exception of mea sles & the baby has had a very severe spell but she is well now & begins to jabber & is mighty sweet & ugly. Cousin Will Morton lost one of his children last week with croup. Little Sit. he was sick only a short time we didn't hear of it until we heard that he was dead. Col. Cardwell died too last week he had been sick a long time. We heard that Joe Daniel had joined the Charlotte troop but don't know whether he has started or not. Poor fellow he hates so badly to leave his beautiful young wife. Presbytery begins at Charlotte Co. Ho. tomorrow & Miss Powell & I are thinking of going saturday & sunday. We will go to Brother Will's & go from there. Nannie & the children were well when we heard from them but it hasn't been very lately. We have had some very severe rains lately & Mr. Redd's tobac co has been right much injured but his corn crop is excellent. He sent off a turn of wheat to Farmville yesterday to get him some new flour. We have very little fruit except apples. Peaches are vey scarce in the neighborhood & the water melon vines have nearly all been killed by the drought. Cousin Margaret Venable got a letter last week from Mrs. Cumpston telling of Cousin Sue Watkins (Venable's) death she died two months ago & they have just received the letter. Her little babe died too. Mr. Cumpston had written too but they haven't received his letter. Horace Booker was here yesterday John was at the battle [of?] Cedar Run & took Gen Prince all by himself but another soldier got all the credit for it all of John's company says he deserves it & ought to have it, that the other boy had nothing to do with taking him. We always love so much to get let ters from you. Ma, Sister Sue & all join me in love to you & all the Cousins.

Your Ever Aff Sister, Pattie