Mother you rote to me that you had sold 11 bushels of corn_mother Dont you sell nary grain of corn more and you ought not to of sold what you have sold for you or your little children or your grand children will need it_write to me hoo you sold the corn to_tell Mary and Sarah and Mahala and Nancy to rite to me and when I rite to you it is to them to and Pink and Tiney mite rite to me once and a while May the 6, 1863 Dear Mother I can in fourm you that we have just got the orders to hold our selves in rediness to march at a moments warning_the boys is very much Dis Satisfied at the thoughts of having to go_you can here it any where amongts them_I dont want to go _and I Dont want to go my self mother_I expect to Send a box of clothes home whe we start_if I send them I will send them by M_____Browning and if I send it I will rite to you what to Do and how you may (k)now the things that belongs to me_So I must close for this time by saing may god bless yhou and your little ones is my urnist prayerSo fare well my Dear old Mother And little children_So you may not rite to me untill I rite agane_you loving Son untill Death yours as ever D.V. Davenport

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Note to the reader: I tried to reproduce the letter as near to the original as possible...I placed and Underscore between sentences for easier reading...

Mother I here that there has bin a grat battle fout in Va. and the paper states that Stonewall Jackson was in the rar of the yankes and that they had taken 5000 yankes prisners and more a coming in_but it no use of talking. there will be a heep of fiting in the west and in Va. Mother the letter you sent to me to send to Charles I sent it to him this morning_I rot to him to come over and see me before I start to viscburg_Mother you rote to me a bout tring to get Martin to this company_there is no use of trying now_ I had just as soon go there as for him to come here_ I rote to him to get his papers fixt up and come here to this company_Mother it greeves my hart to think of leaving you and your little one for when I go to Viscburg I never expect to come home untill the war brakes_but if it is the will of god that I shall live to see this war ended I can live there as well as I can here_I hope that god will protect you and your little ones and I want you to pray for me that I may live untill the war is over if it is the will of god and if it is his will that I Die in this war that he will take my sole to heaven where trubles and wars is no more.