Martha Hendley Poteet, Letter to Francis Marion Poteet (Jan. 21, 1864)

Martha Hendley Poteet, Letter to Francis Marion Poteet (Jan. 21, 1864)

This is a letter from Martha Poteet to her husband Francis Poteet who is a soldier in the army. He had recently left his post without permission to head home because his son had died and his family needed his help with the harvest. He went back to his unit willingly and was put under guard. Martha writes that she and the children are still ill. She thinks the baby may die. She has no news of Asheville, but the nearby troops have been told to make plans to protect provisions from Union forces in the area. Patrols are rounding up deserters, as well as paroled and furloughed men. All men of a certain age are being conscripted into either active military or home guard. She has had the hogs killed, and some of her food supplies have been stolen.

Poteet, Martha Hendley

Poteet, Martha Hendley "Letter to Francis Marion Poteet, Jan. 21, 1864" North Carolina Digital Collections. Web. 30, Apr. 2012

1864-01-21

Document

Correspondence

My Dear husband I recieved your kind letter last satturday and I was glad to hear that you was well I cant write we are all well we all hav bad colds I hav had a pain in my head three weeks and the baby is sick and I dont think it will live long but I do hope this May Reach your kind hands and find you well I would write you some about My self but I cant let evry Man read what I would be willing for you to read you want to know about the hogs I got Mr Walker and Johnathan the next day to kill them I dont know about Ashville John Cowen and others was detailed to hall their provision back out of the way of the yankeys and they say the yankeys can come hear in a day and a half John Carson and Ranz Mitchel and his brother is going about taking up paroled men and men with furlows they taken John Waren last Teusday and put him in Jail And Al Taylor but let him loos a few days the men fom 18 to 50 has to go to the Armey in a short time and the Men fom 16 to 60 has to be home gard and negres to be <gentle?> men this is three letters I hav wrote you I went to the cross Roads last Saturday and got two dollars worth salt and Sunday Night some body stold about half of it and about a half bushel of beans and they hav taken a heap of my corn what I am to do I dont know I thought wen a man went back with with in themselves they did not put them in the gard house but George Taylor told he tuck you up and is to get thirty Dollars of your wages and I expect that is the of you being punished it is Just one Month today sins our little son died and I dont think they ought to blame you for coming home to see him Die but I do hope that God will be with you and bless you and save fom all harm I hope the war will stop and you can come home in peace Sally Hendley had a fine son thursday lat I want you to do the best you can and serve the Lord and if we Meet no moor in this world Ihope we will Meet in heaven to part to moor May the Lord bless save you is my prayer for Christ sake write soon and often farwell Martha A. E. Poteet to her loving husband Francis M. Poteet God bless you my husband