Item Description: A letter, 20 October 1864, from Francis Hunt at Hunts Station, Tex. (or Tenn.), mentioning the poor condition of freedmen. She also mentioned family and personal matters.

Item Citation: From Folder 5, in the Lipscomb Family Papers #429, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Item Transcription: 

Hunts Station, Te Oct. 20th 1864

Dear Brother John: 

I will write to you to let you know that we are all well at this time. A great many of the darkies of this country are with the Yankees, they went and were taken off when they first come in here. Over half are now dead. None are going to them now. They have learned that it don’t pay. They put the men in the army and the women & children off in little huts to punish & freeze. Andrew and all the men at home now have to run every time they come in Sight. A good many of your acquaintances have married Since you left. I want to see you very bad, but we See hard times in this country. Stay there and do the best you can. You are doing better than you could here. The Yankees have taken most everything out of this country. I hope the war will close before long so you can come home and that we can have a good time like we used to. 

I don’t think I will marry till the war winds up. If I was to the old yanks would take my old man off and put him in front to Save themselves from being killed. 

Tell Uncle Tom howdy for me. Tell him to be a good boy. Do you have a time with the Alabama girls. Enjoy yourselves there as well as you can, until you come home. 

from your Sister, 
Frances Hunt