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From William and Mary Libraries Transcription Wiki
<html>Mt. Pleasant Feb. 12th/63
My Dear Sister,
I have been wanting for some time to write to you & today I have determined to write both to you & Brother Nat. I got a letter from him last week saying he was well & that he had gotten two letters from Millie since his return to camp but I expect you have heard good deal later than we have. Ma has been quite sick for more than a week with something like dysentery. She is better now but it returns whenever she takes the least cold. She had Dr. Eggleston to see her once. She has a very poor appetite says she wants to go over & eat with you when you get your nice things prepared. Brother Will was here last sunday he came to church & heard that Ma was sick & as I wasn't there he came on down but found her better though she wasn't well enough for me to leave her. His family are all well. The weather & roads are so bad that I have hardly been out of the yard for a fortnight except to walk out one evening or rather to wade up to Dr. Eggleston. Haven't seen or heard a word from Mollie since the bad weath er set in. Ma got a letter last night from Hal Edmunds saying that he & Brother Dick were both well & in fine spirits they are now in King William Co. & are very snugly fixed in winter quarters but he was afraid they would have to go up to Culpepper C. Ho. to relieve Hampton's Legion. He said they had ^a^ [chimney?] to their tent & could get any thing almost they wanted to eat by paying right high for it, they had even had a bowl of eggnog. Brother Dick wrote sometime ago to Mr. Redd that he wished they had some tobacco to strip this bad weather while they were roasting their "taters" & stewing his oysters. Willie Booker wanted to join the Pr. Ed. Calvary very much but he had half way promised to join a Cav company called The Lee
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Guards & they would not let him off. He starts [...] back until next Monday as the [Lieu?] is in the County & wont go [...] then we hate so much to see him start he is so slender & delicate looking. Horace is in such bad health that he has always been exempted & I suppose he will be again. The court sits next week in [PE?] Mr. Redd has a sick family of servants two or three cases of fever & one of Pneumonia, none very ill. Sister Sue has four hens setting her peas are beginning to show above ground. Little Fan is begin ning to run about very well & has all of her teeth. She tries very hard to talk but says very few words. Her great delight is to come up here & catch hold of Ma's sore foot just to tease Ma. Sister Sue says give a great deal of love to you for her & tell you she wants to see you great deal worse since she saw Brother Nat I do want so much to see you & the children & all at your Pa's. I feel as if I had been home so closely lately & even so little com pany that I wouldn't know how to behave if I should begin to visit again. Cousin [?] Dupuy is staying at Dr. Eggelston's & told me to inquire of you the name of your Aunt Lucy Sherrill's P. Office. She used to teach school at your Grand Pa's. Lou Edmunds is still in Charlotte caught by the bad weather I expect she is getting right uneasy as her Uncle [Hilery's] children have scarlet fever. She is staying at Mrs. Spencer's now but it is only three miles from Mr. Richardson's. Mr. R. has for a teacher Miss Waddell sister of the little fellow who fell in love with you at Mr. Booker's. Mollie has just sent up to hear from Ma. She & the children are well & she sent a letter of Bro Dick's written in fine spirits. Brother Nat said he told you to send for a bale of cotton for me when you sent for yours please send for No 16 or 18 if you haven't sent already. All join me in love to you all. Tell Millie she owes me a letter. Your Ever Aff Sister Pattie
[Marginalia (top)] Brother Dick says he gets the nicest kind of brown sugar at three cents a lb. & that he never butters a biscuit without filling it with sugar. He says the people around him are constantly running the blockade & he gets things cheaper than he could in Richmond. He was going to try & get Mollie a pair of shoes & send her. Ma sends her love to you especially.</html>
