Horton: January 14, 1865
Camp Near Petersburg, Virginia Jan. 14, 1865
Dearest Ellen it is with pleasure I now seat myself to answer your welcom letter of the 11th I am well and hope this will find you the same I have not received the box yet that you sent I guess it must be lost if you have got the receipt of the express company you must present it to them before it runs out I believe you have to present your claim within thirty days or you cannot get any dammage Now Nell I am sorry that you have got into trouble with mother because it will cause a good deal of talk and if she is wrong their will be a good many that will side with her in order to keep the row along, and it will only give you a bad name in the end Now Nell Since their is so much said about Soldiers wives I was in hopes you would carry yourself strait enough to avoid all stories but Nell I dont care what she says about you or me but as long as I am away a good many will believe her for that reason I was in hopes you would keep on the right side of her you know that when she gets a little miff against any one she will go to all lengths if it was only her to talk about us and their was no one else to here it and spread the news and to enlarge every story she told I shouldent care but you know their is always a thousand that likes to have their nose in all such buisness for these reasons alone I should have liked it much better if you had kept on good terms with mother and maintained a good name and lady like caricter now nell their isent any news of any account here we are laying here in camp within rifle shot of the Joneys and all we have to do is picket duty and guard duty but we dont know how soon we may have to fight we are liable to kick up a row any day their is a good many Joneys deserting and coming over to us lately almost every night some comes through our lines now Nell I will close and I hope I shall have a more interesting subject to write uppon the next time I write I am real Sorry I rote such a lot of stuff in that letter since it has cause so much trouble but a better way is Nell not to show any of my letters I dont never show any of yours I always burn them up as soon as I read them I dont burn them because I am ashamed to keep or to read them to others but I burn them becaus I dont think it is a good plan to keep alot of old letters for others to read and chuckle about as soon as a mans back is turned now Nell please excuse me for this time and write soon I presume you will be verry glad to excuse me this time and never want me to write again on this subject I make such awkward work of it you must excuse me under the consideration that I am not posted on the subject now Nell please write soon and write all the news
yours with much Love
Corporal Edwin Horton
