Friday, February 3, 2012

1862 February 3 Centreville, Va.

Centreville Virginia
3rd. Feby 1862
My dear Little Nannie:
Yours of 29th ulto’s came to hand
in due time –
I am glad to hear that you were able
to pay your nearest friends a walking visit & hope
that you can & will go out very often though I
prefer that you employ some other means for getting
about – Let the Boy smile on & I’ll show him
how to laugh when I get home & then if he don’t
cackle right out Lucy must go right straight to
the peach tree for you know what – I would much
prefer that Lizzie should not do the work, but if she
were to offer the proposed Helmet of course I would receive
it, wear it, & be much obliged to him – If you don’t
like your new dress you must either change it or
get another one at once – It is not my opinion
that the blockade will be raised or the war ended
before next winter – I have plenty of socks & other
clothing all in good order & can do very well without
the cap cover you so kindly propose to make - I am

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a thousand times thankful to you for your considera-
-tions & kind offers to do for me & am rather sorry
than otherwise that I can think of nothing for which
to call on you –
I suppose that Clark will be with you
this evening – He seemed delighted with his new appoint-
-ment which I think is a very good start for him
if it is a regular army appointment & he desires to
be a solider for life – On leaving here he borrowed
20$ from Brown giving him the enclosed draft on his
Father but afterwards said that he would leave the
money with you – If he left it with you, you can
keep it & destroy the draft & I will pay Brown here –
but if he did not leave it with you, you must present
the draft & get the money from your Father – In a word
I have agreed to pay Brown here & I want you to have
the money at home so as to save the risk of trans-
-mission by mail when I am paid off in a few
days –
The snow lies now about three inches thick

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on the ground and continues to come down from
above “like flugens” – I hope it may not get much
deeper or lie long as we have to enlarge our wood
pile in a day or two –
Grey Latham seems almost to have
deserted this Company – He has not been here more
than 20 hours for the last six days – No one can
well imagine the loss accruing to the public
interest by the management of this Company –
I do not think he is looking to the soldiery for pro-
-motion now but is an applicant, for the same,
to the War Dept. – The announcement of Clarks
appointment was recd. by him & his two Lieuts.
without a word from either –
My love to Our Mother – remember me
kindly to the Col. & tell the Cap’n how d’ye –
With unalterable affection
Your Own
Choctaw

William King, Captain of the Saltville Light Artillery

[transcription by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 6682

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