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Mt. Pleasant Sep. 26th 1862

My own Dear Brother,

We received your letter to Sister Sue a few days ago & are glad to know that you are so comfortable. We had felt rather uneasy thinking that perhaps you were at Williamsburg & we have been so anxious about Brother Dick but Mollie got a letter from him Monday written the 18th saying that he was well & that the whole company were safe except Mr. Meredith who was missing but they hoped ^he^ would soon come up again. Col Thornton was killed by the bursting of a shell & Bro Dick was very near but escaped unhurt & Hal Edmunds was quite near where another burst & killed a horse in the same regiment. Col. T. was the only one killed though there were others wounded. Mr. Venable received a very bad flesh wound & ^William Walton &^ John Morton Booker were killed. We can get none of the ^particulars^ of J. Booker's death. Mr. Booker & Cous- in Lucy are very much crushed by the news. Ma & I went over yester- day to see them. Cousin Susan Scott was there. There is but one alleviation to the stroke & that is he was a Christian. Our coun- ty has suffered very much from this war & now the Farmville Guard haven't been heard from at all they were in the 18th Regiment & I don't think any company in the Reg. have been heard from. Just as I got here in my letter Brother came up to bring Sallie to school. He says Abram Venable of the 18th Reg. has reached Farm- ville, so I suppose they are safe. Brother was on his way to see Fannie & expects to bring her home with him. John Venable is better, able to go up home. It is night now, we have had a house full of girls today. Lou & Sue & [Nelia?] Booker, Emma [Henry?] Kidd & Sallie Edmunds & this evening, Miss Powell from Mr. Over- by's has come up to spend a few days with her Mother & Sister. Mrs. Powell lost one son last summer in the battle of Manassas & one this summer near Warrenton Springs the only two she had. The last one had been killed three weeks before she heard of it. They were both pious boys members of the Episcopal church & she is one of the nicest ladies I ever saw. Mr. Powell is in the war department in Richmond. Brother Will & family were well when I heard from them. Mollie has a sore throat but isn't very sick. The rest are well at Mrs. Duprey. Mrs. D. has a house full of refugees & kin. Margaret Finly is at Dr. Eggleston's, she looks very sad all the time & makes herself very miserable about Capt. Finly. Mr. Kidd is very busy cutting his tobacco he has a very fine crop though not a large one, has cut three or four [houses?]. The people around here are selling their tobacco very well ^some at 20$^ & some are holding for higher prices. Mr. Kidd has sold some of his. Sister Sue is Dying & hanking & talking about cloth all the time. Little Frankie grows & fattens & is very sweet she is just getting to the interesting age but is right much spoiled. She has been such a delicate child that we all spoil her. Ma is well as usual but is thinner than she has been for a long time. I almost forgot to tell you that Mr. Wha- rey is to be married in the course of a week or two now to a Miss King a refugee. They say she is vey homely but very smart. They expect to live at his mothers. Ma says I must tell you not to write to Nannie to go to Rich- mond to see you it will be such a little while & it is so disagreeable travelling. Make haste & get your house built & perhaps she & I will come down there to the Bluff to see you. Mollie ^Goody^ Watkins Sue Daniel & Bettie Carter Morton are staying at Cousin Will's they were at Briery last sunday all very well & cheerful. I asked [Bet?] about Doc, she [blushed?] up but said she heard from him last week, & he was on his way to Maryland. Did you hear that Cousin Dave & Will Morton bought the Bridge? They gave 29000$ for it. It is late & I must stop. All join me in love to you & all of the Cousins. Do you find any use for yarn gloves & would you like a yarn cap?

Your ever loving Sister, Pattie