1861 June 6 Harpers Ferry

Dear Pa,
As I will have an opportunity
of sending a letter home tomorrow by Mr. Lane, I will write
to you though I’ve just written to Sister by to day’s mail, but
you will be glad to get a letter from me at any time I know.
It always gives me the greatest pleasure to get letters from any
of you at home… Mr. Cullen & Jno. Hibbs will be expected home
next Saturday & I will expect Bro. John & Mr. Kennon & John
Crawford will go home next. I don’t know how we will get along
without Mr. Kennon. I am ^’sure’ we have n’t any one that can supply
his place as well as he does, he is a very useful man to us.
It will be my turn to go home on a furlough before many
months expire I reckon, but I will be the among the last to go
as it is not very important that I should go & all of those
who have wives & business to attend to will go first of course.
It makes me feel a little like going home to see others going
& hear them talk so much about it, but I’m not at all low
spirited or dissatisfied about it. I reckon Mr. Cullen has
told you every thing that has happened since we left home.
I hope he minded all of his stops as he went along, I wd n’t
be surprised if he stretched a little, he’s such a good hand at
spinning yarns. Jno. Thomas is rather better to day, I think
he will soon be out again. The Boys pl[a]gued Jno. a good deal
about writing to the Gov. I think Jno. was prompted by Patri-
otic motives to write to the Governor as ^’he’ thought that he wd be of

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more service to his state by making shoes for the Government
than by fighting. Jno. is not the only one in our Co. that has[?-paper torn]
written to the Governor. We heard to day that Charles Jones had
written to Col. Hill, I did n’t hear the particulars of the letter but
could guess I reckon. Jno. Hibbs wrote Cap. Murray word that
Chas. Jones said he would give the musket up but would not
give the cap up, it is a very small thing but I don’t think
he ought to be allowed to keep it… We expect a good many
recruits now, as the malitia has been called upon. Henry Fran-
cisco had better stay home, we’ve got not no use for him at all.
I have n’t heard of anything new going on lat^’e’ly, every thin^’g’
is very quiet & still. Our Company was excused from drill to day,
as so many of our men are sick. Add. [Addison] Trice is a little better
to day, but is still dangerously sick, I am afraid. Billy Pettus
has the measles. Eddens & Tate are still at Winchester… I must
stop for dinner. We had fine soup that for dinner, that Mr. Lane
made himself. Five hundred Teneseans arrived this morning, the
other part of the Regiment, six hundred, will be on to night or tomor-
row. We did not get any mail to day at all, except from Winchester,
I do n’t ^’know’ the reason of it. I did not get the papers you sent
me last, reckon I will get them tomorrow, I saw an account
of the fight at Fairfax CH in a dispatch sent to Billy Cox. [William F. Cox]
They speak of sending the Eastern Companies to Culpep^’p’er CH under
Gen. Kemper’s command, but we are all violently opposed to
it & do n’t think we will go…Cousine Wm Russel expects to
go home next week on a furlough. I’ve not seen Cousine Will
Ashby for several days. I don’t see much of Dick Bernard now,
he was on guard with me the other day. I’ve seen very little
of Will Hunter since I’ve been here. Pen wrote me

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word that Uncle Thom has joined the artilery Co. at Charlottes-
ville & he said the Ladyies there had formed a Co. for drill & the prac=
tice of [-] arms & the notorious Miss Moon was the leader of
the party. I called on Col. Hill this evening but he was
sleep so I did not see him, I will call on him again.
I have n’t seen anything more of Cp. Pendl^e’ton.
Tell Sister Page I think it is time she was answering my
letter, I’m afraid she will stop writing to me all together
after Bro. John arrives, tell her I will take good care of Bro.
John, she must not be uneasy about him. I think he can get
the situation in our Regiment. Cousine Dock said he wanted
to write a postscript so I must close. My love to all at home
& all of my friends & accept a large portion fo^’r’ yourself.
From yr devoted & aff son
P.S. Friday morning} P. Edloe Jones
I left room for Cousine Dock to write, but he has gone out
so I will finish out the sheet myself. It has cleared off at
last after raining for three days. Mr. Kennon seems to be
very much pleased at the idea of going home. Cap. Murray told
me last night that it would not be long before I cd go home,
that I had never given him any trouble at all & he intended
to let me go home as soon as he could. I think if there is no
fighting or nothing happens to prevent it, I will be home
in three or four weeks. Cousine Dock is very an[x]ious to go in
my place, but If I do get a leave of absence & it does not cost
too much I will certainly be home, but so many are trying to
get off first that I am afraid I will ^’be’ amongst the last as I don’t
intend ^’to’ make a fuss about going first. I told Cap. Murray that
I had no business at all at home except to see you all.

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What is Joe doing with himself? I’ve been expecting a letter from
him for the last week, I think It would almost kill me to be compel-
led to stay in in this Fluvanna now. I reckon Joe has written
to me more than once but I’ve never received but one letter from him
which I answered directly. I will be very much surprised
disappointed if Cit Walthall does not come here, Cit is such a
good fellow. My love to Mr. Thompson & tell him I would
be very glad to hear from him. Tell Linden Trent to write to
me & make Jim and Meade write to me, tell Mat[?] she must
answer my letter…A citizen of this place was ordered to leave
yesterday by ten oclock this ^’morning’ for hi expressing his sentiments
too freely. Cousine Dock has just brought me his letter to you,
I know It will make you laugh when you get it, he keeps me
laughing all the time nearly when I’am with him.
I must close my letter. My very best love to Ma & tell ^’her’ not
to get low spirited about me. I am very well & hearty, to Sister,
Lute, Sis Page, Bro. John & all of the Ch Children, all at Aunt
Cynthia’s, all of my friends & accept a large share for yr’self.
As ever yr. fond & devoted son
P. S. P. E. Jones
My love to the servants. Tell Sister, I don’t reckon
she put the spoon in that she spoke of as I did not get it.
Who sent me that bundle of sugar? I don’t think it was
sent from home as it was not in my box. I am very partic-
ular about eating the dried cherries as I wd not like to have
the colic here for I cd not get any mash Potaes “Mush poticis”[?]
Edloe Jones
Major. Francis. Wm. Jones
Louisa CH
Bolivar Va.