"Letter from Edwin Fosha to his wife." (1863) Rice University: https://hdl.handle.net/1911/93766.

[[Page 1]]

New Orleans Aug 20th 1863
My Dear & beloved wife I will write you a
few lines to let you know how I am geting
along I am better than where I wrote last I
am quite weak and have a pain in my back and
left side my bowels are sore but my stomach seems
better I have no sickness of the stomach although I have
no appetite to eat I think I am improving dayly but
slow I do not say much to any one I am taking
medacine all the while the Docar thought he must
cup my back and side but I do not know whether
I had better have it done or not I hope to be well
in a few days. the boys are all well except a
little Diareah Joseph & John stand it first rate the
weather here could not be better only it is to
cool to day an overcoat would be comfortable it
is a Gulf Storm like a storm in Illinois in
September or October there large lots of pedlars
here with every conceivable thing to sell some
came with Liquor but the Officers of the day was
orderd to arrest such pedlars and imprison them
besides and that fact put a stop to the whisky
the health the soldiers are improving very much
there is a large lot of them probably about from
90,000 to 100 000 in steping out of any tent there is
nothing to be seen but camps and the tops of houses
and we can see about one mile one way and from

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half to 3/4 of a mile in other directions but we
cannot see but a small part of them, this part
of the country appears to be loyal and we under
stand that there has deligations gone into Washington
from Louisana, Mipisseppi, Arkansas, North
Carolina and others will follow if that is the case
things will come to a settement before long
I am very ancious to hear from home I dream
of home most evry night and I wish I was there
with you when I am well I like Soldiering well
enough when I am well but when I am sick it
is no place for me in Camp but I am in hopes
to be well in a few days [[Vanantwerp?]] has
sent in his Resignation papers how soon
they will be around is more than any one
knows, when we will leave here is more
than I can tell when we leave here it is
almost certain that we go to Mobile John
got a letter from home yesterday but they do
not say a word about you I think they are strange
people all that has been writeen or spoken of
one was tell G Fosha another wants him to
write to her kind of funny aint it I will
write to mother soon I would now but it
tires me to write as you may see by my
uneven hand, mail has got so that it
comes regular from Cairo evry day boats
are runing very regular there is no trouble
that we hear of so far althoug severall

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squads of Gurrilas may trouble some days
but it wont amount to anything.
I have not been to the city since I came
here I want to go down in a few days when
I get stout enough this morning paper stated
the cars would run from vickburg to cairo
in a few days I will close to you and write a
litle to Frances & Eva it is [[necessary?]] I hope to say [[awrite?]]
to you but I want you to write certain twice per
week I will certainly get some of them although I not
had but four letters since I left St Louis but I am
looking for a letter evry day Good by God bless
you I send lots of Love and kises in abundance
Your Husband
E J Fosha

My dear Daughters I thought I would try and
write you a few lines to let you know that I
have not forgoten you far from it my dear girls
you cannot concive how often I think of you and wish
I could be with you and I hope I may how pleasant
it would be for me to be with you to night and get
a litle peice of dry toast or somthing that I could
eat I think that it would make one well not so
much what I would get to eat as being with you
and dear mother you must be very good girls
and mind ma until I get home and then I know
you will for I always loved my dear girls but
dear [[pitty?]] is gone before us and we miss her very
much still your litle sister has only gone a litle

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we must be prepared to meet her soon and
haw soon I know not it may several years
and it may be only a few day or weeks we
may never meet again in this world if not
I hope we may be prepared to meet in a better
world than this, I want you to go to Sabbith
School and as ther is no day school for a couple
of months you can be good company for ma
you must study at home and we a will hear Frances
recite and then you must hear Eva I want you
write to me and tell me how you are getting
along both of you I must rest for the fourth
time and I am tired, I will try and finish now I
want you to send me some litle relic of Idas when you
write I want something near me that was hers it seems
many times almost to bad that I cannot see the dear
pet when I go home sometimes I can see her in my
sleep I do not want you to think that I thought she
was any nearer to me than either of you but she
was petted by us all how very bad I should feel if
I was called upon to part with either one of you, I see
a great many things since I left home that would
interest you nice flowers nice houses nice farms
steam boats soldiers and evrything to be seen in
a civilized country Green Oranges & Lemons & Figs Peanuts
almonds pecans filberts and such like now
I will tell you all about thes things when I get home
I must bid you good by write all the news I
send you lots of kisses and you must give ma
lots for me God bless you my dear girls your Pa

[[Formula for Gold Medal Soap]]

FORMULA FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
ONE HUNDRED POUNDS OF
PETTY'S CENTENNIAL GOLD MEDAL SOAP

The right is herby granted To Mr & Mrs S. J. Nicols of the State of
[[unclear]] to manufacture and use my Soaps in his own family. The conditions
under which the above Mr and Mrs S. J. Nicols
accepts this right is that he is not to use this right in any other way only as expressed above, he hereby binding himself not to dispose of this right to any person, nor to sell or
give away any of the Soap made from this right.
FORMULA.
For 100 pounds take 12 lbs. of any good bar soap (Kirk's White Russian preferred,) dissolve this together with 3 lbs. sal
soda and 1 lb. borax in three gallons soft water; when fully dissolved take off the fire and add 2 gallons cold soft water, after
which add 8 oz. aqua ammonia. Now dip out what you wish to make into toliet soap and pour into the moulds, after which
add 2 gallons cold water to make soft or common wash soap; use any essential oils to perfume with You can mould in
the common bread pans. No rubbing is necessary to wash with this soap; all that is necessary is to soak the clothing for a
few hours in a strong suds made of the soap, then rinse through two cold water, wring and hang on a line.
If desiring to make white soaps, use a white soap as a basis, as the soap will take the color of the basis. The color makes
no difference in the working of the soap. The soap can be made of any color, according to fancy. The common home made
lye soap can be used in making the common washing soap. In order to make a fine toilet article a good white soap is preferable
as a basis.
To clean dirty paint work, take the soft soap on a sponge, rub the paint work well with it, then rinse off with cold clear
water. To remove grease spots from clothing, take dry soap and rub the spots well with it after which the sponge off with
cold clear water.
A.W. PETTY, Patentee and Proprietor.
B.V. Minton [[unclear]] Agent.
[[unclear]] B.V. Minton [[unclear]]

[[Francis Edwin Shopen calling cards]]

Grandma from Leslie and Gial

To GreatGrandma Jessup with love from all

Francis Edwin Shopen
OCT. 29TH, 1907.
AT HOME NOV. 10TH.

Francis Edwin Shopen
OCT. 29TH, 1907.
AT HOME NOV. 10TH.

[[Envelope]]

[[three cent red postage stamp image]]

[[New Orleans LA Aug 22 1863 stamp]]

Mrs R.J Fosha
Morris
Grundy Co
Ills
Via Cairo