1861 May 19 Harpers Ferry

Dear Pa,
Although it is
getting late & I’ve written to Ma,
I must write to you also. I am very
much obliged to you for keeping me
so well posted in ^ ‘the’ news by writing to
me so often & sending me papers.
It is a great pleasure to me to receive
letters from all of you at home & get
such advice from a Father, Mother, Bro,
& Sisters, which advice I shall ende^’av’-
or to take & proffit by it.
I heard two sermons this evening,
one at ^’on’ the Alabama camp grounds by an
Episcopal, & another from a porch of a
private house by a methodist minister,
it looks right strange to me to see
a minister preaching in an open
field……..Joe is not quite so

[page 2]
well this evening as he was this mornin^’g’
he has a right high fever, but he is
still a good deal better than he was yester-
day, he expects to start home as soon
as he gets well enough to travel, if
he can get a discharge, which I think
he can do. I wd be very sorry for
Joe to leave me, but I know he ought
to go. I begin to think now that
I am right tough & hard to make sick,
when I was on duty the other night
I slept on the ground, covered up
with a blanket was as wet with dew
as if it had been raining.. I am
very much sun burnt, am most as
black as a negro..
A great deal of excitement is anticipa-
ted next Thursday at the election & it is
thought that if an attack is made
at all it will be before Thursday or
on that day, but I do n’t think it
will be made at all, on this place –

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Cap. Murray drew off a
certificate this evening denying all
of those^’e’ charges r^’e’ports that those cowar^’ds’
have put in circulation about our Co,
& all of us signed it, it will be
sent to some ^ ‘of’ you there, & I hope it
will [be] shown as much as possible.
Our Co has the name of being one of
the most orderly & well behaved co’s –
here, we did have some disorderly
members at first, but we’ve gotten
rid of them & they are the very ones
that are trying to injure our Co.
I wish Chas. Jones success with his
co. but I wish he wd send us our
minnie musket back, I think
he ought to elect Henry Francisco
orderly sargeant, & Jno Trice 1st Lieu,
Haslup 2nd & make adfive others office[rs]
that I could mention. –
My very best love to Cit. Wallthall [Christopher J. Walthall]
& tell him we wd be very glad to have
him Join our Co, tell him to believe

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no reports that he hears, but come
over to see for himself.
Cap. Murray has been very kind
& attentive to me the whole time, he
took me aside yesterday & told ^ ‘me’ that when
ever I wanted anything or felt badly
just let him know & he wd do anything
he cd for me, that he knew I was willing
to do my duty when I was able &
he wd favor me all he could.
It is time for reverlie so I must stop.
Excuse this badly written letter, for I am
very sleepy & tired & have a very bad
pen & light. best love to all.

Yr most Aff. son P. Edloe Jo

Monday morning}
Joe is a good deal better this morning.
has scarc^’e’ly no fever & looks better, he says
he feels well enough to start home, he is
very an[x]ious to get home now……It
is a very bad day, rained most all
night & is raining yet, but I wo n’t have
to be out to day. My respects to Cap
Anderson. I am very well. yrs’ &C.

MSS 13407