This letter was written by 11 year-old Milton Ruffin Fox (1850-1873), the son of George Luck Fox (1804-1858) and his second wife, Tryphena (Kime) Fox (1819-1892) of Chatham county, North Carolina. Milton wrote the letter to his older brother, Andrew G. Fox (1834-1862) who was serving as a private in Capt. Lane’s Company G (the “Chatham Boys”) of the 26th North Carolina Volunteers. Andrew died of typhoid fever in Randolph county on 27 March 1862.
TRANSCRIPTION
Chatham county, [North Carolina]
September 26th 1861
Dear brother,
I seat myself down to write you a few lines to let you know that we are all well at present and hope that these few lines will find you well. I want to see you very bad and hope that I shall. Me and Winey went and stayed with Sarah last night and help Sarah Barber tie up some fodder. She is well. I know that you want to see Preston and hear him gobber some for he is always at it and never say anything at that. We are a going to kill a hog and Sarah is a coming down on Saturday night to help eat it.
I received a letter from you dated September 9th which gave me great satisfaction to hear from you that you was well. Tell Willis Teague and William Jordan and George Underwood and Henry Johnson that I want to see them very bad and hope that I shall see them one time more. Tell Willis Teague that I want him to come back and tend our ground again so that I can work with him again and talk about the girls as we used to. Tell him that the girls wants to see him. They all talk about him and think a heap more than they say. Tell him to hurry and kill the Yankees and come back and I will try and keep his girls for him. Tell him that I think that his girl will write him a few lines.
I want you to hurry and kill the Yankees and mind and don’t get killed yourself and don’t let them take you prisoner. Robert says if the Yankees take the Chatham boys prisoners, he is going any how whether they will have him or not.
Well, I must close by saying that I want you to write to me as soon as you can. Give my love to all of my friends. So no more at present. So goodbye.
To Andrew G. Fox
From Milton R. Fox
If you hain’t got no paper, you can write on the other side of this paper.
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