Dark Entry
Sept. 26th, 1862
I am called upon again my darling wife to ask your forgiveness for my seeming neglect in writing, and again me thinks I hear the pardon granted from that dear affectionate heart. I expect Henry is with you by this time and expect is in clover. Well tell him I hope he will catch a wife before he returns; I don't think he can do better than splice with one of the Misses Roberts. They have the credit of being nice girls. You had better persuade him to strike at once. I saw Tom Harrison on yesterday. He is just from Thomas and says we have lost four little negroes, and Pa has lost one so you see he have had very bad luck. Both of Violet's children [1] have died, Mealius Joe and Charlotte's baby. You know Mealy's baby died soon after we moved out. Henry Copeland has also lost four. It was very fortunate that we did not take our little Eula out there or she might have also fallen a victim to that fatal disease. But kind Providence in His wisdom seems to protect us from all harm and danger and watches over our welfare. I received your letter of the 15th. You can imagine my delight on its reception. Mr. Jack Dunwody is down here as Henry will tell you. I have spoken to him about his house but have not received a definite answer yet; he says if he can get a place in the upcountry for his family he will let us have his, and will write me as soon as he returns. I don't think there will be any doubt about us getting it. You want to know when my company will move to Waynesville. Never I hope! It would be mean in me to deprive Bro. Clair and Campbells of the nice times they are having with their families - You must appoint a day for your departure and write to me so I can make some arrangement for sending up to Waynesville for you. I will try and meet you myself if I can get off but if
I can't I will send Bill and the buggy for you. I am very much afraid you won't have money enough to pay your way home, and I will have to send it by mail. But darling you must count what you have and write to me at once, and if you haven't enough I will send it anyhow. I don't want you to borrow as I do think we have intruded upon good natures more than we should have done, and more that I ever shall consent to again. If we don't get Mr. D.'s house I will have to board you and Eula out until after the war, or have us a little house built up on the Sand-Hills [2]. The country down here still continues very healthy. 'Witter' sends love to all and says he will try and write soon. You don't know how very, very much I want to see you and Eula. You haven't written me anything about her since I left and you know next to your dear self I prize her most of all the things in the world. When you write again tell me whether she can talk or not and tell her I haven't had a letter from her since my return. Witter says he has received the things sent him by Mr. Tison; they were very acceptable. You must tell Henry not to stay too long as I am very anxious to see you and Eula. I know these next three week will seem like a century to me, but I suppose like everything else will have an end. Everything seems to be favorable toward a speedy termination of hostilities. May God in His Judgment bring about a speedy termination of the war. It seems to me if getting a man down and mauling him will make him cry for quarters the Yanks have had enough of it to make them cry out.
When you come down if I can get a leave of absence I want us to make a visit to Thomas and show our baby to Father and Mother they are very anxious to see us all. I don't know what we are to do for water down here when the rains stop, for every well in the whole country has caved in and filled up. The rain still continues; it has been raining for more than a week already. Aunty seems to express a great desire to live with us if we get Mr. D.'s house; I told her we would be more than glad to have her do so. There will be quite enough room for all as she and Mary could occupy the upstairs rooms and we could take the lower one. And then have one left for company. That was a very good suggestion of yours to get that house I never thought of it. Goodbye darling give love to all and write soon to your devoted husband
Nate
P.S. You must tell Mrs. Nicholes that Witter has caught a sweetheart and wants to know what her opinion is in regard to early marriage. If there be no objections I will fix him off in fine style. I hope there will be no objections as he is very anxious about the matter. His choice will weigh about one hundred and sixty pounds and is red headed.
Your Nate.
[1] Violet's children - in a 1861 document of indenture in Camden County, Georgia, several Negro slaves were transferred from N. A. Brown and L. N. Brown to H.J. Nicholes, Jr. as trustee: '… also Violet, a woman about twenty three years old, and her children, Amy, Martin and Hester…'
[2] Sand-Hills - 'Sandhills are found on the fall line in Georgia and along the northern and eastern banks of large Coastal Plain streams in Georgia…. Although soils across the southeastern Coastal Plain are typically sandy, sandhills are characterized by thicker sandy deposits one to twenty-five meters deep….. Sandhills of the fall line date from the Miocene Epoch (about 25 million years B.C.), when they formed the ancient coastline of the Atlantic Ocean.
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/geography-environment/sandhills