Letter, A. Shaw to Mary Shaw; 3/23/1863

              At Home  March 23rd 1863

Dear Mother, I have been very busy this week and have not written my usual letter.  My health is so much better that I can attend to business and I feel like working every minute that I can.  I have good hopes of again enjoying good health.  Rinnie though is not well.  She looks badly and complains a good deal.  Clarence keeps very well and is the busyest little fellow you ever saw.  He goes out to the field before dinner time just to get a ride home on one of the plow mules.  The negroes all keep well.  Belle has been laid up a day or so.  Jane is still spinning.  We have nearly forty yards spun.  The rainy weather has prevented us from getting along with the farm work as well as we should have done.  We have about twenty acres planted in corn and more that is ready to plant.  Unless it rains I will plant our field of peas tomorrow.  The grass is coming up in the woods and the cattle are doing well.  Our Sheep are all looking well.  They have twelve lambs.  We had five or six Calves to die and three grown Cattle.  Their hides will make us plenty of Shoes.  I think we can get along with what Corn we have if the government doesn�t impress it.  The officer is now in Brookhaven with the order to impress Corn & Wheat.  I look for him every day.  There has not been quite as much travel for a week or so as there has been.  Three men staid with us last night.  The roads are still very bad.  No news from the army since the fight at Port Hudson.  The talk of peace has again passed over and dated a few months ahead.  Write to us and come and see us when the roads get good.
                                      Yours Affectionately  A. Shaw