[page 1]
Headquarters 8th Ala Regt
Near Fredericksburg Apr 19/63
My Ever Dear Sister
Your favor of the
9 inst came to hand yesterday and it
was perused with great interest &c
Sister I have no news of very great
importance to communicate to you
but I shall indeavor to make this
letter as interesting as possible
though it is night and I cant see
what I am doing hardily but
then you must remember that this
is the time of year for storms so
you see that one has bin a long
here and blowed down my [crossed out: letters]
letter or that is it bent them
down prety considerably and some
of them are heavy paper[?] and
natchurallly bind over to consid-
erable extent and if I dont
keep the lines just say that
my is bad and let it pass by
so much of this sheet of
paper filled up does it interest
you very much, or are you
[page 2]
like the little boy was when the
people told him that it was a
good thing that his father was dead
he could not see how it was for
when he was at work when his
father was there he only had to
work every other run but now
his father was dead he had every
run to work you dont think
that part of this letter interest
ing what you expect that the
next line will be but I
guess you will be more like
him when you read all of
this pretended interesting, E. P.
and find that none of it is
interesting wont you or have
you nothing to say on the
subject O yes! The last word
reminds me that I had better take
a subject well what shall that
subject be let me see as the
blind man said I will read your
letter over and see if I cannot
find something in it to write
a bout but I will first finish
this page so it can dry while
I read your letter a gaine
[page 3]
Dear Sister you spoke of going
fishing the next day and said
dont you wish that I (J.G. Parsons)
was there well now since you
spoke of it Dont I wish that
I [crossed out, illegible] was there to go with you not
for the sake of the fish that
would be catched but for the
sake of being with you my
Dear Sister and Mollie [ink flourish]
but Pshaw what do I care
for her probly you would
be surprised to here that
I had picked out a companion
in Old Virginia She is one
of the prettyest nicest and the
best accomplished and the most
industrious Ladie you ever saw yes
and the most patriotic girls that
now lives now you may want
to know how I know all of
this simply because she has
bin recommended as such to me
that is her industriousness and
the others I have formed[?] out
through conversation and the eye
isent that surficiant proof I
dont know what other means a man
[page 4]
would adopt to find out a Ladie
In speaking of fishing now if
you were up here you might injoy
yourself catching fish for they
are large and a plenty of them
some of the men fish when we
go on picket but I have never
tried my luck yet I always thought
it a fine thing for amusement
and I dont think that I shall
bevery fond of hunting after
the war ends providid that I am
luckey enough to see the end
for it will be too much like
soldiering to take up a gun
I dont think that I shall want
to see a gun nor hear a drum
let alone use one.
Sister you need not say any thing
to Mollie a bout that letter if she
writes to me I will reply to it
and if she dont it is all well and
good you know I dont care a fig
for any of them no way
though you need not publish this
I may want to pass off the time
with them some future day maby
Well do you think you have found the
interesting part of this E.P. yet let me know
if you find it
Cherry Family Civil War Letters
