SUBMITTED BY: Teresa Saville Matern
Written while Andrew J. Dooling was in Weldon, N.C. on December 30, 1862:
(click letter to enlarge)
“Dear Mother I take my pen in hand to let you now that I am well at this time hoping the few lines may find you all well and doing well I will tell you that brother Mike came by to see me and went back to his company [……..Not able to decipher…. but I think it is that his brother brought him clothes] and I was glad for I need them he stayed with me 1 day and night he was well so I will tell you that (not decipherable) hard but we think it will be lite now for there is a big unit come here to help us to guard the bridge So I am well [undecipherable] at this place to stay here to the end of the war if I can so will tell you brother you much be a good boy unto I come home and if I don’t necessary come home to see you I hope to see you when I git to heaven So I will tell that this Regiment has bin in some 3 or 4 fights now but this Companing not gin in no fight yet and I hope it will not be in no fight at tol I cannot git to Co n home yet but I hop that I will git to come home in 2 or 3 months to stay so we got good guns at last brother you must take good car of my ….so nothing more at this time but I remain your son unto death so nothing more unto death but I remain your loving sun and brother A. J. Dooling So you must rite soon … in care of captain [I think it is Captain James but the ink is smeared a bit. It probably could be researched to the date and place to see who this captain was, on the back it is more clear and it looks more like Capt. S T Janes.] I want you direct your letter to the reg for the reg is a long way from us just direct your letter in the care of Capt S T Janes Weldon NC Co H and A J Dooling I have wrote you 6 six letters and I have never received an answer as yet and this is the last one I write until I receive an answer.”
I have several others and when I get the time I will send the information. It’s good history.
