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This is a letter home that was written in 1864 by Thomas N. "Pony" Moody from a hospital in Nashville,TN. Mr. Moody was a member of the 40th Indiana Infantry,Company C and was wounded in the hip at the battle of Missionary Ridge. I did not change any of the spelling, just as the newspaper did not. I do find it interesting that words he misspelled like "ma" for may, he would spell correctly from time to time if he was using a word more than once in the letter.It's also a little hard to read without the use of any sort of punctuation.
Newspaper- "Waveland Independent" (Waveland, Indiana),May 31,1929
"A Letter from "Pony" Moody"
"In reading the following letter written by the late T.N. Moody,you should remember that he had little,if any schooling,and learned to write after he went into the army.In those days even educated people were rather vague in their ideas about punctuation and capital letters."
Nashville,Tenn
July the 27 64
"Dear Mother it is with mutch pleasure that I seat my self to pen you A few lines to let you know that I am well and hope that when these few lines come to hand They ma find you well and doing well Mother mi wound is getting A long fine it dont pain me anymore worth a cent James E. Sennett he has his ferlow started up good but dont I wish I was A going to get to come home I have a good doctor and he knows what is best for me I will have to as he said let it bea good or bad bad or good but I hope it will bea for the good but I think there will be A chance Starch up mi fine shert hav one or 2 ready for me to ware to the fair if I have good luck I ma be their we dont know what may hapen yet but dont forget to write I like to hear from home while I am hear let it be long or short I just wrote to you on the 12 and Kate Sympson on the 13 I have got the answer to hers and answered it Agane and yet no letter from home but I hope it will bea good for one this evening I dont know how that is but I think it is due time well I have to bea gin to close for this time So no more but remain As ever your Son un till death."
"Thomas Moody TO A M MOODY Goodbye"
"Don't that just sound like Pony? In a strange city, wounded, no older than his grandson, Heck Gilliland and yet cheerful and looking forward to a good time at the fair. The wound troubled him all his life and contributed to his death, but he never complained and always had a cherry word."
Newspaper- "Waveland Independent" (Waveland, Indiana),May 31,1929
"A Letter from "Pony" Moody"
"In reading the following letter written by the late T.N. Moody,you should remember that he had little,if any schooling,and learned to write after he went into the army.In those days even educated people were rather vague in their ideas about punctuation and capital letters."
Nashville,Tenn
July the 27 64
"Dear Mother it is with mutch pleasure that I seat my self to pen you A few lines to let you know that I am well and hope that when these few lines come to hand They ma find you well and doing well Mother mi wound is getting A long fine it dont pain me anymore worth a cent James E. Sennett he has his ferlow started up good but dont I wish I was A going to get to come home I have a good doctor and he knows what is best for me I will have to as he said let it bea good or bad bad or good but I hope it will bea for the good but I think there will be A chance Starch up mi fine shert hav one or 2 ready for me to ware to the fair if I have good luck I ma be their we dont know what may hapen yet but dont forget to write I like to hear from home while I am hear let it be long or short I just wrote to you on the 12 and Kate Sympson on the 13 I have got the answer to hers and answered it Agane and yet no letter from home but I hope it will bea good for one this evening I dont know how that is but I think it is due time well I have to bea gin to close for this time So no more but remain As ever your Son un till death."
"Thomas Moody TO A M MOODY Goodbye"
"Don't that just sound like Pony? In a strange city, wounded, no older than his grandson, Heck Gilliland and yet cheerful and looking forward to a good time at the fair. The wound troubled him all his life and contributed to his death, but he never complained and always had a cherry word."
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