Richmond 5 April 1863 Tuesday
I received your letter of last Monday, my beloved wife, just as I had written to Mr. Wilmer and was about to put the letter in the post office. I merely had space & time to mention it. Your letter contained more that was pleasing (however pleasing the contents always are) than usual -dear Anne had recovered from her illness- all the rest were well. You had heard satisfactorily from Bob. Mrs. Semple had gotten rid of her bad cold and little Jim & Cyrus making money. I suppose you have of course recd. what little matters sent by Mr. Gilmer; I anticipated your request for soda & am sorry I did not send more, there was I think 2 oz. a dollar's worth. I wrote to you some time in the week past, saying that I had bought the corn starch, cream of tartar & ess. orange which will I hope be taken to you by a Mr. Patton at the end of this week. I will see whether he can take Page's muslin which I got Lizzie Ewell to go with me & get ; if not I must send itsome other way; I have bought a piece of unbleached cotton, 31 yards (for which I gave $1.75 cents Mr. Gard!) and it will make so large a bundle that I cannot trouble Mr. Patton wit it; I have accordingly written to Mr. Pollok, rail road agent at Ringgold, to know whether it will be safe to send a box to R. to his care^ by express R. Road train to be sent to the C. House; I have not heard yet from him; tell Lelia that I will endeavor to get the plate I send it at the same time. I will try to send baby's shoes by Mr. Patton. Do not hesitate to write to me for things on the scare of trouble. I have little to do in the afternoon, & independently of the pleasure of doing what you wish done, it is by no means unpleasing to me to have something to do in the aftn, as well as in the morning. I am so used to work that I feel uncomfortable with nothing to do.
I shall be very glad to see Mr. Lefebvre and to receive the shirts & may, if it is convenient to him, send my articles by him. I will go [w bank] tomorrow t[?] Mr. Cringan about him. Mr. W. H. Pierce has come up from Wmsburg or rather from the immediate vicinity, for he has been afraid to go inside since he has undertaken to bring up goods for sale which he obtains secretly. He says that things are unchanged from their condition previously. He brought me a letter from Mr. Sweeney who has been very kind about my afairs. He took 5 of my mules from my lot immediately on my departure from home. The Yankees stole one. Two he gave Isham for their use on the farm, not thinking it expedient to trust all in their possn. One he gave to Gawain to use for Mrs. Henley & for himself & the other he sent to Mrs. Sydney Smith.
He says that he has talked with Isham several times & that those who remain seem disposed to await out return if permitted; that they seem rather disgusted with the Yankee treatment and that all are in place except Jacob who went to Hampton with his family from Mrs. Tucker's; no doubt corrupted by his wife & Mrs. T.'s other servants who have turned out to be amongst the most despicable in Wmsburg. Mrs. Sweeney's letter was dated 17 March.
I went to church today, altho' it was slightly snowing & sprinkling, & heard a very fine sermon from Minnigerode. I went to see Mrs. Stanard the other evening. she sent her love to you & the girls. She complained of their not visiting her. or letting her know that they were in town when they were here; I excused them on the score of the weather & told her I make sure they would not have waited for her to go to see them even if she had known they were here. I also invited Maj. Mumford & the ladies one night last week, also Dr. Hoge's to see Lizzie Ewell & the family. I had been there before & likewise General Ewell. So you see I have become quite a visitor.
