A happy New Year to you my dear Friend, and may you have many pleasant anniversaries of it. I have been looking for a letter from you for several days, and hope it will come before long, and though it seems like hoping against hope, I trust you will make your own appearance before very long. I saw Mr. & Mrs. Russell for a moment as they passed by on the cars the other day. They told me you were in your usual health. If so it would be a good time to come to Aiken. How I wished they could have stopped a day to tell me all about Gainesville matters. Mrs. Washington, they told me, stopped over at Augusta with Miss Sedgwick, and but for the lesson I got by going there some 10 days ago, as mentioned in my letter to the Judge [i.e., Turner Reavis], I might take a run thither to see her. I find however that I shall have to be extremely prudent for some time yet, perhaps for the remainder of my life.

Friday 2d Jany. A gossiping visitor yesterday morning, & the arrival of church time together, prevented me from having my note ready, to enclose in the letter to the Judge, so I finish it this morning and enclose several papers with it. One of these is a check for $50. which I must insist on your taking

nature itself. The J.H.S. is as nearly correct as I could draw it from an Oxford book that our minister lent me. The anchor is perhaps a little too long. Perhaps the workman has a book of designs that would give him a more correct model. The letters also may be not in proper proportion, or of the best shape, or in the best places, but I wish them to have the arrangement I have given them, and above all, for no mistake to be made in them, and if there is no good marble worker there quite competent to do as plain a piece of work as this, I would prefer waiting a little longer till after the war. You can easily judge of his skill by looking at the work he has on hand.
     I was surprised in one of your letters to see any desponding expression respecting the war. It seems to me every thing has been gradually and steadily brightening for six months or more, and now, you must admit the prospects are very cheering. The news from the west today is capital, though a little dashed by what we hear of the raid on the Knoxville and V^a road, as well as the enemy's incursion into Coffee County. I fear one southern tier of counties will suffer considerably, as there seems to have been never any idea

that the enemy would strike there.

     Sunday Morning 4 Jany -- finds my letter still unfinished. I have been not atall well however since I wrote to the Judge having had a return of fevers & haemorrhage. I could not get my drawings to suit me either, nor do they yet, but as they are to serve only as guides to the carver, and not models, it does not make so much difference. I may try to send better only when I feel better, but leaning over either to write or to draw, produces an unpleasant effect on my chest. The increase of unfavourable symptoms I am suffering with proceeds altogether from returns of fever, the poison of which still lingers in my system though diminishing in intensity. If I could only get rid of that, I am persuaded the chest affections would get entirely well in a reasonable time.
     But good bye my best regards to the Judge and Miss Lucy Nannie and Mittie as well as to Miss C & the Doctor and his pretty wife. Can't she send that dream lady along. By the way I have forgot one little matter. I want to make you a new year's gift of a piece of property, which it would break you to have a good many of, but perhaps you can get along with only one. It is my mother's rockaway. It will never be of any use to me, unless I should happen to visit you before it goes to pieces, and I would not sell it to anybody. Then please take it, if its failing condition does not make it too expensive a gift.

Ever your Friend
L.H. Anderson