Dale County AlArchives History - Letters .....William Edward Woodham to his wife Elizabeth Ann Kelly Woodham July 10 1864
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Michelle Woodham Mw4au@aol.com December 3, 2004, 12:06 pm

Chatahoochey near Atlanta       July 10

Dear Elizabeth

It is with pleasure I can take my pen to write you a few lines to let you no I 
am tolerable wel. Tho a little un wel for the laste few dayes. I feel beter 
this morning. I hante ben excused from no dutey. I hope I wil keep wel fore 
this is a bad plase to be sick unless he is sick a nuf to be sente to a 
hospital and the ones that gowes wantes to git back that is some of them. I 
hope this wil find you al wel and doin as wel as the times wil admit of. I 
hante herd from John since you rote he was at Eufala and had rote to Jarred. If 
you here from him I wante you to write how he is and where he promiste to write 
but he hante. Tel Elisar I hante herd from Richard but once since he lefte. I 
donte think she need not be oneasey he is out of a bad scrape at this time. We 
come of [off] of  Picket last nighte. We stayed on 2 dayes and nightes and we 
had the hoteste time we have had tho we did not get hirte much. 2 in ower 
regiment tho. I cante see how it is onley luck fore the Mississippi Pickets 
gave away and we retalaken [?] them and then they raled and charged the yankeys 
and such times you never saw. I was rite in the rear on Poste with other and 
bales flew al round us. They got 25 wounded 2 kiled 1 misin. The yankey los we 
donte no. they run like clever fellows. We fel back a gain a cros the River sow 
I recon we wil make a nother stand thou it lookes like they drive us as the 
like. I am gitin anxious for this war to close. I hante herd from Jarid in some 
several dayes. I wante you to write how your crop is if or sor rey. I am al the 
time anxious to here from you. I expect Elitia Andrewes wil come here in a 
short time and if you wante some money I wante to no and if he donte come I 
wante you to have what you wante. Sow you muste excuse bad wrtin as my chance 
is bad and sow I close by signin myself your loving husband til death. May god 
bles you and the children is my prear. Write how George growes and Lanorah.

Wm. E. Woodham


Additional Comments:
This letter mentions John and Jarred – both are sons of William E Woodham by 
his first wife Mary Ann Martha Segars. Jarred was killed in the Battle of 
Mobile Bay  in 1864. George and Lanorah were William’s youngest children at 
that time. George was about eight months old.

This letter was written by William Edward Woodham to his wife Elizabeth Ann 
Kelly Woodham. From information in the letter, it was obviously written July 
10, 1864 during the Battle of Atlanta. The Union troops crossed the 
Chattahoochee River July 8, 1864. I have transcribed the letter as written, 
with no corrections for spelling. I have included the correct word in brackets 
where it is needed for clarity. The original letter is in the possession of 
Brannan D Woodham, great grandson of William Edward Woodham. I have scanned the 
letter and will be happy to share this upon request.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/dale/history/letters/ms30williame.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/alfiles/

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