¶ … Nathan I cannot tell you how much my heart is a-yearning for yours and how regularly I fret for your safe passage. I have been praying that you and your men will be guaranteed protection and I have asked God to grant you a certain amount of guardianship and shielding.

I have been worried into a near feverish state and have been bereft with anxiety and panic. With the new year a-coming I have gotten word of late about the approach of General Sherman's northern army and I am dreadfully afraid of their approach, as they have been known to pillage and burn everything they encounter in their path. Miss Mollie told me frightful stories of local raiders who posed as U.S. soldiers in order to gain the confidence of the townspeople that they encounter, only to damn them later. I have spent many a sleepless night watching the fires on the horizon and wondering if my time was up or rapidly approaching. My dearest, I don't mean to cause you any pain or agony with this discussion. I just wanted to let you know of everything that is going through my head at this time. Telling you, my sweetheart and my beau, helps me to know that everything will be rectified in the end. It soothes my heartstrings like truly nothing else can, and I beg you to indulge me further.

I...

I've wrapped everything in a meter of old lace, and I have wrapped it up tightly. I've also buried so many of our pieces of silver in the cemetery next to your great grandmother's headstone so that they will forever be safe and preserved from the passing Union troops. I've even sent my mules into the woods, preventing them from being pillaged by the Union army, and all my stores of meat have been divided up among my slaves. The Union troops to the north of us that passed through the local town set fire to the cotton bales in the barns of some of my relatives. This was a truly catastrophic event as much of my aunt's property was burned to the ground: the blaze did however, burn out before spreading, thus the property of my neighbors was largely spared, and all widespread destruction of this area did not occur, though the union soldiers would probably have liked this to occur. I'm working hard for the recovery of our farm so that when you do return to me, you won't be faced with a picture of devastation and unhappiness. I want the state of the farm to look fresh and promising for you,…