I avail myself of another opportunity to write you I am still stationed here in this place & as commandant of the post I am very comfortably fixed here but cant say that I like the place. Capt James S Brown is here with me here & I s & myself keep house we have Louise, Henry & Jenny keeping house for us and do quite well & if you & the children were only here I would be fixed I am trying daily to get a house even in the country but cant as yet get one The one we have is one the Doctor had & is quite small & could not be gotten for us

I hope to succeed in getting a house soon. I heard of a house in Waynsboro 12 miles off & rode there on Sunday but it had been sold to Smith & Dallinger. I rode out 7 miles yesterday to see a property but could not get it. I have joined a gentleman here in the purchase of a large Hotel property here at thirty thousand Dollars $30,00000 Said to be one of the finest stands in the Valley it is a large building & is at the Rail Road all say it is quite cheap It is now occupied as Hospital at a rent of $360000 pr year & cant be got now. If it was furnished & conducted now as Hotel would make I think $100,00000 pr year Hotels here charge $8 pr day & but little to eat There is no chance now to get a portion of it to occupy. You pave the way to move out when I can get a place See if you will be allowed to bring out all your things & Then put up all the fruit you can if you have to get packin- to put it in & make full preperations with everything needed for a long time so that if can move out that you will be prepared Get your self & childred plenty of clothing & material & get several pairs of shoes each some too large & get Freddy plenty shoes & boots get some of Mr Snyders & some at James Hills or elsewhere so that persons will not know your preparations. if you get some coarse goods & shoes for the blacks make these arrangements & perhaps by this time the Valley will be open & there will be no difficulty in getting out & if should not get out of course the preparation would not be amiss have the hogs fattened as I directed & if you should come out have Henry S. to Kill & put up plenty of Pork for us this fall Save all your bacon & lard Bacon here 150c beef $1. butter 175 a $2. lard 150 a $200 Boots $40 to $60 Shoes $20 to $4000 they are not scarce but every person seems to be --ing Make every arrangement necessary to come out & live on what you bring except bread meat & butter &c-- Teams would have to be gotten there to come say to woodstock & there reload an other teams Billy & James Chennowith & Kneadler I think would come & John with carriage with you Moses might have wheel fixed on our carriage perhaps he would come out there with you. Thomas or Staub must furnish you with funds funds I have learned that H Thomas was sent off & imprisoned but cant learn if correct if so I feel concerned about the mill property

Try & write me & let me know how things are and if you will be allowed to move out, if come, bring Jane or Mary C. along Mrs Schoppert is living here in --ns & well she is exceedingly anxious for you to come here, and if can get a house to suit will try & all get together it would be best to bring say 2 cows & it will be necessary to put some careful person in our house also the house Moody lives in I suppose he will not keep house longer Aug & Peggy would move in the home property. If I can I will get a house already furnished in that event our furniture need not be brough except bedding if this can be done you could buy a team & get your uncle James G.'s large wagon he said he would sell it to me when I was there. In fact One team, One carriage & horses might all be bough as there would be nothing lost in such a purchase as they could be sold here readily at an advance on cost I cant find a farm here yet for sale

In short arrange all your matters & have them in train to move out here so that when it suits all will be ready to move out with plenty of every thing you need but dont move without communicating to me first Unless you mistreated & have a very unpleasant time there in that event pull up stakes & move on out & notify me as soon as can I wrote several letters to you lately & no reply try & give me word Send a letter to John or some one for me You need not sign your name for fear it might be intercepted I will know who it is from O Some one can certainly send me a letter say how the mill is, how the children get along how you are all provided for whether interfered with in any way or not I dont ask any information as to the troops &c remember me kindly to the children tell them to be obedient & good also to all enquiring friend say how you get along for help God bless you all