1862 February 5 Centreville, Va.

In Camp at Centreville Va
5 Feby 1862
My dear Little Nannie:
I am sorry, very sorry, to hear thru
yours of Monday of your indisposition & the sickness
of “Sissie” as well as for the mental troubles to Our
Mother growing out of the always changing condi-
-tion of a family of six children some of whom
are grown – I sincerely hope that you will not get
worse & that “Sissie” is better or well by this time –
As to Clark I think he is well pleased with his
new place and but for the peril attaching to his
daring disposition I would congratulate him most
heartily on his success in securing it – He will
distinguish himself in war & says that he is not
qualified for sedentary life –
Like you I think there is some mystery
attending your Uncle John’s estate & if the families interes-
-ted can get any real, tangible evidence in relation to
the existence of such an one as you mention of course
some interested person ought to go to Texas & procure a
reliable agent to look after the same –

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I am very much obliged to you for the Box to
arrive in two or three days by Willie Blackford –
I am also thankful for the badly cut stamps that
did not come to hand – If they were “bought so”
you could’nt be responsible for the manner of
their separation – Little Brown & I are doing
very well at our new boarding house the mess
at which has by our going into it been increased
to six – The Dutchman & Englishman both cook
well & the two natives are tolerable fellows – We
have no cooking done now in the house occupied
& kept clean by us alone & we are delighted with
a condition that devolves upon us no labor except
cutting wood & bringing water – We pay two dollars
a month for cooking & I will have to pay
fifty cents pr. month for feeding the horse left
me by Clark –
Their has been no election to supply the
vacancy made by Clark’s promotion but Grey
has just been in & stated that he will have
an election in a day or two – I cant say
who’ll be elected though some here pretend

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to know –
About 20 of the Company are drunk
to day & we had another big carousal though
but one pair fought this time – The Orderly Segt.
has been in the habit of selling Whiskey at from
1$ to &1.50/100 per pint but to day the contents of
a five gallon key was poured upon the ground
by order of Grey for which I give him credit
if he does drink freely himself from that barrel
up at his house – He seems to day to be Capt
for the first time –
The sun of to day dispersed nearly all
of the snow & now we hope to have better weather
than for some time past –
Give my best love to Our Ma to “Sissie”
& remember me very kindly to the Col – present
my compliments to “the Cap’n” and believe
me to be with all my heart with all
my soul & with all my mind
Your Own
Choctaw

[transcription by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]


William A. King, Captain of the Saltville Light Artillery

MSS 6682