Sept. 30th – Tuesday morning –
                                   I hear that the con-
scription frightens a great many youthful
heroes and that many are the inventions
to avoid the service.  Joe Hester reached
here yesterday with two loads tobacco
and commences his return journey
today – Perhaps my letter would go sooner
[by] mail but doubtless it will go
safer if I send it by him.  Every one
is remarking how much I have im-
proved and fattened.  When I met Jessie
Porter and spoke to him he knew me
not & said I had decidedly the ad-
vantage of him.  I have fattened up
a great deal in the past month and
weigh more than I ever did in my
life.  There is much talk now in camp
about armistice and peace; but of
course there is no reliable information
here of this.  Every thing is quiet and the troops

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are drilling daily.  There are some indi-
cations that we will soon fall back to
Winchester; there is nothing here for man
nor beast to eat and it is our understanding
to transport them on wagons from
Staunton and Culpepper CHs.; all the am-
balances were sent from here yesterday
for the purpose I understand of removing
the sick and wounded from Winches-
ter.  I am glad to hear of Aunt Mollie’s
matrimonial prospects.  I see no
reason why war should put a stop to
marriage allowing women and misses who
are so fortunate as to be out of the
[con]flict.  I must now close with great
love to you all.
                    Your Aff. Brother
                     F. Pendleton Jones

Francis Pendleton Jones,  13th Virginia
[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 13407