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Regiment: 23rd Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
May the 1 1864
Mr George Van Sunday
Dear friend it is with much pleasure that i seat
my self to answer your welcom leter i thought that
you had entirley forgoten us poor siners but it
seams that you have thought it worth your
while to remember us once more and i will endvor
to answer yours of the 8 of April wee are usually well
hoping that this will find you enjoying the
same great blessing for health is on of the gratest
blessings that god bestows on the human famely
George you are aware that Henry has bine home
He came very unexpected to me i never knew nothing
of his inlisting untill
he stood on the door
step it was after dark and some one rapped and
i went to the door and there stood my old
black Hank you may think that i was
some pleased it was a rather happy day for us
We had companey or we went a viseting all
the time We went to one publicke ball
and i was some oposed to it but hank insisted
on my going So i submitted to the old mans
wishes we had a good time thare was a good
many of the vetrens thare Hand danced all
he wanted to hank acted as thoe he had escaped
from prison i think he was sory to think that he had
inlisted again he had bin gon so long from home
he though that he could come and make a visit
and go back again but it was harder for him
to go this time than the first time i hope
he will not have to stay his three years longer in
this plagued niger and green back war George you
no that I was once a good Union lady but now
I have seceeded and joined the coperheads What doz you think of that
When Hank went back him and i went out ann arbor
and made a visit amongst his friends we went
out on Thursday and stayed until
Monday then
we came back to detroit we got in detroit at ten
and i stayed with hank untill 3 in the afternoon
and then we went to the depot and i had to leave my
dear husban and it was the sadest moments of
my life George you no how to simpethise
with me for i understand that you have ben
home on furlouh i haven’t had a leter from
you wife since last August i have bin very
carlas and havent answerd hers but i am a
going to before long you no probly before
this time that Hank bought the olmstead place
We paid 700 dolars down and ows to the state
200 and 40 dolars he borowed some money but
i think he can pay fore the place easy enough
all the bounty he gets is 400 dolars government
and state bounty 50 dolars he did not get any
bounty I and he ought to of got 300 dolars
Old C Cart says he will not help the vetrens
families but i have always lived without any
help and i think i can yet but i still think
it belongs to me as well as the rest but let
Mr. CC keep it we will both be delt justly by
when we make our aprence in another world
that is some conselation to think that old
Cart will be no more thare than old godwin
or any other bayer but all i care is if hank can
only live to come back and enjoy his hard
earnings Hank was very saving of his wages they
say he is a prety hard boy down thare and i don’t
blame him all i fear is he never will be
as contented as he was before he came home
i moved up to davisonville last december and i had a
good house to live in i liked living thare very
much but Hank and Pa thought that i had beter fo on to the place pa is agoing to work the
place it has bin a very discouragen Spring so
far it has rained all threw April and i has
bin rahter cold besides 0 i must tell Hank sold
his interest in his mothers place for 300 dolars
when I was in Atlas i drew 7 and 8 dolars per
month i would much rather stayed there but
supose it will be best in the long run to be
on the place. But up there i could go and come
when i pleased i alway went a great deal but there
i went more i have got three leters from Hank since
he got to the regt He is well he got a leter from
you and filafe the day he rote to me well i weill bring
my leter to a close by saying that if you can read
this and will excuse my bad riting and spelling
I will rite when you answer this George you rite as
thoe you have looked for a leter from dot i tell you
that dot is a riting whare she takes a great deal of
intreast i think as near as i can find out and i watch
prety close and some folkes can’t rite to more than one at
a time but I rite to a great many i had a dear
friend in the 14 Mich that I held corspondence
with but poor boy he was taken prisner last Sept
and i mis his leters very much lafa has inlisted in
the 27 Mich you say that you would have writen oftener
if it had not of bin for fear of a mus i fear no
such thing for I say thare is not harme in a
friendly leter so rite if you are a mind to
you can tell lafe his famely is all well if you
are a mind to i was thare today verginy noaker went
to flint a foot last Friday
Gidley
George burnt letters tels no tales hand thinks this was cant
last more than one year what do you think
