February 11, 1863

My Dear Wife and Children as I am compelled to leave you in a short time and God only knows whether I ever will return or not I hope and trust in him that I may. I know not whether I ever will be permited to write to you after I leave you. I hope you will keep these few lines wrote by my own hand and remember me so long as it is God’s will for you to live my Dear Wife. I will write down my sincere desire and I hope and firmly believe that you will do the best you can. I want you to teach our Dear little children their duty and keep them in their duty as near as possible and remember that these words come from the Heart of your loving Husband and that these words are wrote with tears in his eyes. Dear Wife take good care of these few lines and read them to the children when ever they want to hear it.

Dear Wife don’t forget to be careful about fire don’t leave the little ones where they will be in danger of getting burned be kind to them and keep them in their duty as near as you possibly can

My Dear little children a few words to you when your mother goes to read this I want you all to gather around her and pay good attention to the advice your Dear Pappy leaves for you I want you all to be good children and obey your Mother and be kind and good to one another and learn your books and keep out of all bad company

If I should never return again after I have to leave you I want you all to remember your Father whoso dearly loves you all and if I never see you no more I want your Dear Mother to try to keep this till you all can learn to read it and remember that it is the hand write of your dear Father who is in a great deal of trouble about having to part with you all Dear Children don’t never forget me let these words bear on your minds

Dear Wife it seems like it is unnecessary to write so much but I know it is very uncertain whether I ever see you a gain after I part with you to go to the war but I feel like I have as earnest a desire to live till this terrible war is ended and enjoy our hapy days together as we have done so long as it is the will of our Blessed Saviour if I should live to return home again these words will do no harm and if I should never be permited to return to you agin I am made to believe that it will be some satisfaction to you to look over this and know that it was wrote by the hand of your loving Husband with a troubled Heart and eyes full of tears My Dear Wife Serena Ann I want you to remember me when I leave you I will leave you with a clear conscince that I have all ways treated you as a good Husband ought to treat his Wife and you may rest assured that I feel like you have all ways treated me as a good Wife ought to treat her Husband

My loving Wife I want you to sho this to any of our friends that you thing it would interest to read it I hope I may be permited to write to you after I have to leave you but as I know it is uncertain I feel like I want to leave some of my tender words pinned down so that you can remember the earnest desires of your loving Husband who had all most as soon start to his grave as to part with you and the Dear little children how often you have looked for me and oft times seen me come but now I have to part from you and may never more return I want you my Dear Wife to rember that I don’t put my trust in man to bring me safe through this war but in God and him alone may God bless you and our Dear little children and prepair us all to meet in that brite and glorious world where sickness and sorrow pain and death will be felt and fear no more but joy and peace reign forever more

My Dear and loving Wife I want you to pray for me far well Dear Wife and Children Pinkston W.C. Britt

Capitalization, punctuation and grammar are copied as written by Pinkston