William Nashville Edwards Letter
The following letter was written in a Camp near Richmond , VA on June
15th, 1863. The writer William Nashville Edwards was the brother of my
husband's ancestor James Martin Edwards, son of James F. Edwards and
Mary Good Nelson of Pitt County, NC. William Nashville died in Charity
Hospital in Gordonsville, Virginia on May 22, 1864..
Emma, to whom the letter is addressed is the daughter of James Martin
Edwards.
Dear Niece,
Thank the Lord I am again permitted with the privilege of dropping you
a few lines to let you hear from me again. Emma this leaves me well.
But I feel very bad today for your Dear Father for I suppose today is
the day to fetch out the little remnant that remains in old Pitt. I
feel so sorry for you and your Mother and the children that I do not
know what to do. But I trust that God will be with you all in times of
need and forsake you not. Emma, I have wrote to you and your Mother but
I have not received any answer yet. Emma, we received orders the same
day that your father left me. I did not have time to write to you. But
I wrote your Mother a few lines to let you know that I was gone to
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Virginia. Emma, I will tell you the route that I have taken since I left
Winston. We were ordered to Petersburg when we got there we did not stay
there but a short time before we went on to Richmond. There we stayed two
or three days then we were ordered to Hanover's Junction we stayed there
a short time, then we were ordered to South Hanovers Bridge. There we
stayed two days and then we were ordered back again to Richmond. Then we
were sent to Shiver's Bluff. There we stayed one day and then we were
sent to this place and are now between Richmond and Charles City on the
road that leads from the Capitol to Charles City. Emma, I would be so glad
to see you all but God only knows when I shall ever see you all again for
furloughs has
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played out here and I do not know when I shall ever come home again. But
I always try to put my whole trust in Him that rules and super rules all
things to His own purpose and grace. Emma, I have nothing of much
importance to write. Only they have had a pretty severe fight down at
Culpepper last week. Our calvary and the yankee calvary fought there
from 5 o'clock in the moring until 7 o'clock in the evening. Our loss
is estimated at 150 to 200 killed and wounded and taken prisoner. We
took 302 prisoners at one time and wounded and killed between 2 and 4
hundred of the enemy and killed 25 colonels and 2 Generals. We lost 10
or 12 colonels. Emma, I will drop the subject. Henry Haddock sends his
best love and respects to you and said you must take good
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care of yourself for he said that he reckons he will have to give me one
of his cousins for you for he said he reckons he can call me Uncle as good
as you can so I reckon Emma I shall have to swap you off for his cousin for
she is very nice and pretty also I will not tell you who it is. Give my love
to your Father and Mother also all the children and to Mother and Sister and
Noah and to Mrs. Brooks and also to Fannie and Bettie Ringold and all
inquiring friends and relatives and save a portion for yourself also tell
all the Miss Moores I would be happy to see them all again. Emma I must
come to a close direct your letters to Richmond, Virginia 27th NC 7 Cooks
Brigade.
Your friend and Uncle until death.
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