At Home Sunday � Dec. 7th 1862
Dear Mother, I wrote to you last Sunday � then we were all well � Since then Rinnie has been very sick � with something like billious Cholic. She looks badly and is now just able to get about a little. The ballance of us are all well. My own health is I think still improving. Clarence is well since his spell with the toothache and is as noisy and playful as he can be. We are making shoes for the negroes. One of our neighbors Mr. Case is Boss Shoemaker but Henry can do almost as well as he. I believe Henry can do almost anything. There is no news in our neighborhood. It is said there was a fight a few days since at Coffeeville in this State. I have not heard the result. Major Clark at Brookhaven has two Companies of Cavalry at his Camp I suppose to hunt the Conscripts with. We have not heard of our wagon since they started to the Salt mine. I fear from what I see in the papers that the trip will turn out a failure. We have beautiful weather though a little too cold � I hope you will take advantage of it and come out to see us before the roads get bad. Write to us. Yours &. A. Shaw