N C Mcdowell Co
thursday Feb the 4 1864

My Dear husband,

I recieved your kind and loving letter last Saturday and was glad to hear fom you and hear you was well but sory to hear sunday that you was not well. we are not well. they nearly all hav had sore throats. I aint well my self but I do hope and pray that when these few lines reaches your kind hands it will find you well. I shal be uneasy till I hear fom you. if I could I would come and see you. I sent you somthing to eat by Marion Higins,five pies and five ginger Cakes one doz unions two custerds 1 ham of Meat and three twists of tobaco. I toted it to the X roads in my lap. if you get it I wont mind nothing that I don. I am willing to do any for you that I can. You wrote for me to stay hear. Bill Cower says if I stay in the house I shant work the ground, that I shant as much as hav the garden. I hav walked my self down this week trying to get a place and hav got non. me and my children are bound to perish. all the honest men is gone and a set of speckalating dogs is left to press the lives out of the poor Women and children while the soldiers is standing as a wall between them and the enemy. they are standing between them and there wives to snatch evry thing they can get. I think there ought to be astop put to it. if it aint we all will be bound to perrish. I am in a great deal of trouble. Doctor Young charged me three dollars in gold or silver or thirty dollars in confederate for coming to see. [p.1] tell grise I seen Nancy last Sunday. she is well. Alvis one time and george Taylor to. hav thirty dollars for his kindness leting you rid to the head of the road. he ought to be double quicked to the armey. if I was a man I would kill him. Bill Cowen had [to] go to Richmond. he sed he would give 12 hundred penny weights of gold to get off. Young Burt Higgins died last Sunday. there has bin several deaths in the last two or three weeks. your Aunt Barbry died last sunday week. your Mother is in Burk yet. I want you when you write to write to me and not to them that dont thank you for it. I thought you had better sens that any body that dont car for me nor you. I want it to be the last. I hav had but two little scraps of letters yet and I hav wrote five. I will send you apeace of paper. I told you when you left I was left to the Mercy of the people there is about as much mercy shown me as a dog would show apeace of meat but I hope it wont always be so. I do hope that peace will be made and you can come home. O that God will spar your Life to get home and bless you with health and shield you fom all harm is the prayer of your disstressed Wife. I want you to do the best you can. I hope they wont punish you all ways. I dont think they ought. you did not stay at but 8 days and then went back but if God is with you you need not fear what Man can do. I dont expect to see you any moor in this world but I want to meet you in heaven. I must close. farwell Francis My dear. May we meet again in peace.

M. A. E. Poteet to her Loving husband F. M. Poteet God bless you. [p.2]

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