Letter

John Payne
6th Georgia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment
Company B
writing to his wife, Louisa, in Union County, Ga.
written late 1862

Dear wife, I now seat myself to write you a few lines to let you no that I am well at this time, hoping that these few lines may come safe to hand and find you well. I received a letter from you by the hand of Burrel [from Union County] which is all one I have got from you since I left home.

There is great excitement here now about the smallpox. There was one man died here some time ago with it, and there was another man died in town a few days ago with it and when he was taken sick. No one knew what was the matter with him so there was a great many that had a chance to catch it from him. I was with him a few days before he died but he was not then broke out [?] and his wife slept in the same room with him and was with him when he died so they are all that was with him when he died is now confined to the house so as to stop the disease. So hope it will not spread in camp.

We have some mighty bad weather now. It is raining now [and] it has been wet for several days. Our battalion is now gone to Kentucky on a count they have been gone two weeks and I do not know when they will be back. I understand that they have had one brush with the yankees since they left. Would not be surprised if we all go into Kentucky before long and I do not care how quick we leave here for it looks as if our horses will starve if we stay here. We only get twelve ears of corn per day to the horse and but very little [?] and our own rations it seems is getting short. We get plenty of cornmeal but our meat is very [?].

Dear wife, I would love to see you and our boy the best in the world but we can not see each other now. You said something about my not writing to you. I hope you will excuse me for my not writing to you [more often] and I have received but one from you. My knee is getting a little rest. I find is doing my knee good. I must close for it is nearly night. I will write again before long.

John Payne survived the war and returned home.

Their home was the John Payne Cabin.