[Footnote: I have made no changes in
this letter except to fill up some blanks and to add a few marks of
punctuation.]
"I was after put on board siezed violently with the disentarry--it
followed me hard upwards of six weeks--after that a slow fever, but
now am vastly better * * * my sincere love to you and my children. May
God keep and preserve you at all times from sin, sickness, and death *
* * I will Endeavor to faintly lead you into the poor cituation the
soldiers are in, espechally those taken at Long Island where I was; in
fact these cases are deplorable and they are Real objects of
pitty--they are still confined and in houses where there is no
fire--poor mortals, with little or no clothes--perishing with hunger,
offering eight dollars in paper for one in silver to Relieve there
distressing hunger; occasioned for want of food--there natures are
broke and gone, some almost loose there voices and some there
hearing--they are crouded into churches & there guarded night and
day. I cant paint the horable appearance they make--it is shocking to
human nature to behold them. Could I draw the curtain from before you;
there expose to your view a lean Jawd mortal, hunger laid his skinny
hand (upon him) and whet to keenest Edge his stomach cravings,
sorounded with tattred garments, Rotten Rags, close beset with
unwelcome vermin. Could I do this, I say, possable I might in some
(small) manner fix your idea with what appearance sum hundreds of
these poor creatures make in houses where once people attempted to
Implore God's Blessings, &c, but I must say no more of there
calamities.
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