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Bright Spot
May the 28th 1864
My own dear Husband
Here I am doomed to
pass another week in dread & [despair ?];
again the mail has come and still no ti-
dings from you; what on earth can be the
matter? your last letter was dated the 1st of May
you had just reached Richmond then
I see in the papers a dispatch from Gracie's
Brigade, stating that it been in a fight
at [Denny's ?] Bluff immortalized itself and
suffered severely in Killed & wounded especially
among its officers. You have no idea how troubled
I am. they all say they know you are acting
Surgeon & were not in the fight; at the
time you wrote me you were acting Surgeon
but your letter was dated the 1st of [May ?] & the
fight took place on the 16th; I try to look on
the bright side. but you may have changed
your position materially in sixteen days.
I am satisfied something is the matter or you
would not let a whole month pass without
writing to me; It makes me right sick to think
I am so worried to death & can not help my
self, at all; Mr Barnet was to go to town to
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day to telegraph & see what had become of Mr
Hill he is in the fight at Dutton; I could
have sent by him & telegraphed to learn if
you were safe or not but I do not know
where you are; I'll give you my word that the
whole Confederacy would not repay me for the
sleepless nights & tiresome, lonely, miserable
days I spend; no wonder every body says "what
in the world makes you look so bad", the
troubles of this life are enough to kill me,
Ben Fitzpatrick is at home, came wednesday
his horse he bought when he was at home
is in low health he brought him home, he
has been nearly dead, is entirely unfit for
service Bess & Tobe came over to see us this
morning. Bess looks well, is in good spirits
tried to cheer me says "he knows you are all
right" he said White was well & growing
fast they are now stationed at Mobile; Ben
will return next Wednesday; Aunt Lizzie is
going to give him a party Monday night, he
& Tobe were going around to invite them all
I suppose they will have quite a crowd, all the
kin folks, and then the young people around,
Ben insisted that I should go. but every thing of the
kind is so inconsistent with my present feelings
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I could not bear to see them all dancing now. I do not think
it is right. & our country in so much distress, [Sallie?]Reid and
Tobe were at a dinner party at Mrs. Wray's last week, had a fine
time they say dancing "all the Thompsons" were there; I suppose
they think it better to be laughing then sighing but if the
world were to move in accordance with my present gloomy
feelings, every thing would seem dark indeed; We have had no
letter from the Boys since they left, but hear they are still at
"Blue Mountain" in [Mott ?] Ala; Gen Clanton [however ?] is him
[arly ?] at Dalton or with that army acting as aid to Gen Polk.
Johnston is now in thirty miles of Atlanta. has selicted his
battle-ground. Ben saw a dispatch the other day stating that
his friends Mr. Hart & those boys were safe. I sent up to
Dr M. this morning, wrote a note to Joe to know if Lucy
had heard from Bird Baldwin; I got a note from her this
afternoon, she said Lucy had not heard from Bird since
the fight. Dr. M. let mother have one hundred bushels of corn &
sh could not get it anywhere else; I have not heard wether
the children & Joe have made friends or not. have not seen
Sister Mary since Brother Phil left Joe wrote me a Kind
note. I thought it was not our place to write the first, they
will make up after a while. Mrs. [Laurdorrson ?] left this week
Her & Lucie could not agree at all, the old lady kept [them ?]
them all in a [stir ?] while she staid. Kennerly has been sick.
all this week. has fallen off very much when
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I wrote you last he was having chills. he had those before
I could break them. has had fever to day but no chill, he
is lively this evening. I think he will soon be well again.
he is a dear little fellow, is so patient when he is sick.
Bless his precious life, when I look at him I feel like there
is some thing in this dreary world to love me. Cousin
Fannie is still at Union Springs & will be there some time
she had been exposed to measles. they have it in Cousin
Martha's family, she will remain there until she has
it; mother walked down to Mr Barnet's this evening; since
I commenced my lettter Mary Smith called to see me, the
party has [illegible] them all, she wanted some advice
as to how she should dress; Cousin Cassie has a baby girl
named "Lizzie Harris" it was born on the night of the 2d
two nights before Mr Campbell left. Sallie Reid came over
last sunday spent a day or two with us. Mr. Pettie called
to see her one evening. I did not go out; He send Sallie
some [seen ?] music the next day, he was just from town
He seems pleasant with Sallie she received a letter from
Mr Levy by the last mail. he also sent her the late novel by
Miss Evans the author of Beulah. I would not be surprised
if Mr Levy courted Sallie. My ideas are disconnected this evening
I feel like you will want to hear every thing but I can not
write now, if I could hear from you I could write you
Fitzpatrick Mitchell Williamson Papers
