Augusta County Va. Camp Near Stanton

January The 18, 1864

Dear Friend.

       I take the Presant oppotunity to write you a Few Lines To Let You Know That I Have Not Forgoten You.  I am well at Presant And I Hope When This reaches you it may Find You enjoying The Same Great & Good Blesing. You must excuse me For Not writing Before This time For I have Had Such A Hard Time And Have Seen So Mutch Trouble For The Last Two Years That I Have Not writen to Noboddy, But my Poor lonesom wife and children. And Farther & Mother.  You Must Not Think Hard of my Not coming to see you all when we were down On That detail to Stafford.   I came over To Falmouth one morning But was in Such A Hurry That I Had Not Time to come up to See You all.  I would Have ben verry glad to Have Had the Pleasure of Coming to Seen you all I called in and Saw Virginia and John.  You must Go down and Stay with Mag, whenever you can get a chance.  You must write to me & let me Hear all The Knews about Falmouth.   H C Fox Sends his best Respects to you & says He hopes That you Have Not turned A Yankee.  Give My best Respects to Mary a Betty and The old Man & to Mr Jett & All The Girles.  and Keep A potion For your Self.   Nanny I expect you will be Married before I Shall Have the Pleasure of Seeing You again.  But if you do Try and Get and old Man That will Treat you well You must write me werd How Many Girles

in Falmouth and in your neighbourhood That Have Married Sence I Have ben in The Army.  I was verry sorry to Hear The Death of Your Poor Mother.  I Should have been verry glad to have Seen Her Again But I Hope She is Happy.  She Has Paid The debt That we All Have got To Pay One day or other.  And we Know Not How Soon.  And it Becomes us to Prepare to Meet our judge.  That we may, all Meet in Heaven Where There wars nor any parting There.  You Must excuse all blots and Mistak & Bad writing.  write Soon & let Me Hear From You. Willy Payne is well.  No More at Presant But Remain Your True Friend until Death

John W. Watson

 

Give My respects to Virginia & John and the Children & also To Mrs Reaves her family