Letter written by Edwin Jones from Portsmouth to Fannie on August 6, 1861
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Portsmouth (Portsmouth) Aug. 6th 61 Dear Fannie (Fannie)
I think it's nearly time
to write a few "scratches"
(vide Tom
Barnes (Barnes, Tom) '
dictionary)
to you and will improve
the present opportunity. If my ideas
are
confused or any deficiency can
be found in my grammar or elswhere (elsewhere)
please attribute it to the tremendous
hot weather, and my
wife, who by the
way is the best, handsomest, & jolliest
feminine,
that ever gave the palpitation
of the heart to a susceptable (susceptible) human.
I "caroused" your interesting epistle
to my mother
and was much amused
by your ideas, in regard to your
humble servant.
All the long words
you mentioned and the longest in "Webster's
Unabridged" together, don't express the
twenty-ninth-heavenly state of my
mind
at present. But when your letter was
written, I had not been thrown into
the pit, a la Joseph of precious memory.
We were not married till August 1st
and came directly to Portsmouth (Portsmouth) . where
we shall spend a few weeks. As far as my
experience goes I am perfectly satisfied that
"It is not good for man to live alone".
and that Sancho Panza (Panza, Sancho) when he said:
"Blessed be the man who invented sleep
should have added & matrimony to the
sentence. But everybody says so at
first, and some day I may come down
from my heaven, and condescend to tread
mother earth again. You know the
homely but none the less true adage
A new broom &c &c ---
Tom
Barnes (Barnes, Tom) keeps us in a
roar all
the time. everbody (Everybody) knows him on the
street, and he has a word for all --
I
suppose you do not need a description as
you have heard & seen enough
to satisfy you
that he is remarkable. And that his mammy
should be
proud of him -- We Cannot
go out much during the hot weather
except at night but the Society of father (Jones (Mr.)) ,
mother (Jones (Mrs.)) , & the inimitable Tom Barnes (Barnes, Tom)
amply Compensates for all such sacrifices
Please remember me to
Laura (Laura) and
all the family. seen & unseen. and
Ma (Jones (Mrs.))
wishes me to say She hopes to see you
before Cold weather. My wife
(Hem-m-m)
sends love to you, and the entire family
although she has
seen but few of them.
I should be extremely happified to receive
a
letter from you and from any of the folks
Fill the letter with any thing,
whether
it is news or not. I know you can do
my subject full justice.
We are all
in good health. and if the heat was not
so great we might
be said to enjoy life. but
we are never satisfied "Man never is, but
always to be blessed." True isn't it?
If I was'nt (wasn't) married, I'd say: Kiss all the
girls and shake hands with the
boys, but
Alackaday! I'm done for. No more
moonlight walks with a
dozen girls. and
affectionate squeezes of the hand on the
doorstep. Well, I can get over the
thoughts of it in time I hope.
Mrs.
I. (I. (Mrs.)) would say. You must and
in a
very short time too - The chains are
silk now, It's astonishing
(so I'm told)
how soon age hardens them to iron.
But I am not willing
to believe it.
We hope to hear from
Gus (Gus) &
Billy (Billy)
before
many months ---. I'm afraid they
will have a long passage --
How they
could go and leave
Tom (Tom) , is more
than
I can tell. He is fun for a regiment
I suppose you are for the
Whole
Union and can shout for the old
hero
Scott (Scott) as well as
any one --
I wish you could be here and have a
talk with me - I think
we could fix
things, so that the war would end with
honor to our side,
and confusion to our
enemies. --- With much love to you
and the good
people of your household
Part: of 4 
