Joseph Spafford to Mary Jane Spafford
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The prospect is that we shall not leave for a number of days, and I wish to speak
to you in regard to coming down here. You and Lizzie might come I suppose, but I
think it would be a very unsatisfactory visit for this reason. I am Orderly, and
I suppose you think that is rather of a hard place, from what you have heard us
say about it, but I assure you “that is no name for it”
you have no idea how much work it is, and it is of such a nature that I cannot
shirk it at all, consiquently I could
have but very little time to be with you and could not go to town at all with
you as I know, so you would have to go to the Hotel alone and I should not be
there to get a coach to take you up to camp, so there you would be, and then I
would not have you around alone, as you would have to be considerable of the
time while you were at the camp, on any account. I thought if Abbie A. should
come down you could come when she did, and between the Capt and myself we could
be with you most of the time and one or the other of see you back and fourth
from town, but the boys tell me the Capts wife is down to town now and he has
gone down to see her, so very likely
she will not come to B. again.
Now don’t think because I write as I do, that I do not wish to see you both, on
the contrary nothing in the world would give me so much pleasure, but when I
consider the difficulties you would meet with, I almost think it is not best. Do
as you think best after reading this letter. But we may be gone any day If it is
possible I shall come home one day, and back the
next, but dont make much dependence on it, for it seems to me impossible. I can
see Henry and Abbie just driving on to the parade ground I shall go and speak to
Abbie, and prehaps hear from home since I was there. Monday 8 o’clock P.M. I
went and saw Abbie but learned nothing new
from home. She is going
back to C. to night.
I must close for they are calling for the Orderly – from all quarters
Good byeYour Brother Joe
Love to all