Lauderdale Springs, Miss
March 25, 1863

My Dear Father,
Your very kind letter was received more than a week ago but as I had written to you only a day or two previous, I defered answering it until now. It was gratifying to me to learn that you was all tolerably well yet sorry to hear of grandfathers illness but I hope through the greay mercy of God that he has recovered long before this. I was sorry also to hear that Marthy had gone home and left you and mother alone. Under such circumstances I wish it was so that I could come and stay with you. But I dont suppose I could resine if I desired to and could. Id then go home I would be conscripted, so as I am pleasantly situated here it will be probably best for me to remain. I am living very well here and am making some money. I get paid off at the end of every month. I received pay yesterday for last month which gives me four hundred dollars. I find if I were to send it to you as you suggested by check it would cost me about ten dollars on the hundred so if you are not in need of it, I will hold on a while longer and try to get a furlow to come home the first of May and attend the meeting of the General Assembly in Columbiabut as they have ordered no furlows to be given until the first of July, it may be very doubtful about me getting one. Everything seems to still and quiet. Our enemy is now at a stand still and no great prospects of an engagement at any point. A great number of the enemy are deserting and coming over to us our folks are sending twelve of them by here on their way home every day. Both the gun boats that run past our batterys at Vicksburg has been captured by us in the read(?) river such being the case they will hardly attempt to send any more down, when they get below there is no chance for them to get up again. I hope something will soon take place that will cause this crewel war to be stop but ther is but little prospects of it stoping now. But God who knows all things and does all things right will cause it to stope just at the right time and in the right way. Write soon. Ever your obedient son.

W. R. Stoddard