Quincy, June 19th, 1864
Dear Sister,
I received your letter last night and was glad to hear from you. We are all well. Mamie has been out to walk with her father tonight and when she was coming home, Mr. Drake’s folks were out on the doorstep and they called her into the yard and she staid a good while over there and finally John has to go over after her and bring her home kicking and screaming but she has got over it now. Today there was a discourse preached at the Methodist church at the porut (?) at the death of two Quincy soldiers.
There have been quite a number of Quincy solders killed in the late battles. They have raised about 4500 hundred dollars here to pay for drafted men. There have got to be 30 drafters the 1st of July and tomorrow they are going round to get more money. There have been two war meetings here and the most of those liable to be drafted subscribed something and every one that payed bring(?) thing towards it stands a chance to be exemplication(?) to Eliza was down here tonight. They expect Richards brother home tomorrow with the 11th regiment. He has been out there for 3 years and two months and has been in over 30 battles.
He has been wounded once and been a prisoner in Richmond 3 months so he is not going to reenlist for he thinks he has seen enough of war.
Julia has gotten a new hat it is white English straw trimmed with green velvet and pink moss roses in front. It looks very pretty. I am sorry mother has been sick. I hope she is better by this time. We need rain very much, the streets are very dry and dusty. We have had pretty warm weather for a few days but the nights are quite comfortable. I must close for it is time for Mamie to go to bed, write soon to your aff. sister,
C.L.P.
( On the back page of that letter is a part of another letter dated the following day, as if she made another entry but I am suspicious of it as it doesn’t “sounds” like her writing, but since it is on the same paper, I will include its partial state here)
June 20th This is Monday morning and it is 1/2 past 10. I suppose you have washed and got cleaned up but my washing is not on the line yet. I did not feel very well and did not get up still 8 o’ clock and when I did get up, Mrs. Wright was washing and Julia was sitting down. The sitting room was not dusted nor the closets put to right so I went and did that, then there was a leg of mutton laying in the table all exposed to the flies, I took that and fixed it to roast, the milk wasn’t carried down cellar not the kitchen swept up, about half of the dishes were washed and the others sat in the sink, oh dear.
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