Lieut Robt. S. Edwards
48th Reg^t N. Y. Volunteers

My dear Rob

     Last mail failed to bring us any home letters it seems a very long while since I heard from you
     Well we have had the news of McClellan's forced retreat to the James river, and are getting over the effect of the bad tidings as best we may — How indignant we all feel with M^r Sec^y Stanton for his presumptuous meddling with the plan of the campaign — I hope we have heard the last of it —
     How has it been with you dear brother mine I saw with much regret the announcement of the death of your Col. at Fort Pulaski, no cause was assigned but we fear fever.
     We are to go to the Concordia to live. I have leased the place for two or four years at my option & hope that when the lease is up, if not before, that we may set our faces towards our ain countree. I think both Nellie & Kate will thrive there — Then for the first time in our married life we

we shall be living by ourselves in our own hired house — We have had most comfortable quarters here but still there has been a good deal of hotel like life about it, and now we are to keep house on our own account — Nellie is rejoiced at the prospect and I think that the change will be of great benefit to her & to wee Kate — K Thrives famously and is quite the personage of the household
     Business is in a most perplexing state — Since the first of Jan^y we have done exceedingly well, but under the present aspect of affairs monetary in the US all trade therewith is knocked into pie, the advance in exchange between London & New York to 130% adding 20% to the cost of importations — Fortunately our local and English trade are paying well — M^r Tucker [i.e., Richard Dalton Tucker, of Peele, Hubbell, & Co.] after a short sojurn in the US returned to GB finding that country to be at present a much more promising sphere of work.
     I meant to have sent you some cigars but can't tell now when a ship will be laid on for America I think the boys have gotten thro' cleaning up Nellies room & am going upstairs now to play with Kate if her little ladyship is awake — So goodbye for a while dear Rob. & don't you go & get the fever.

21 Sept. By beginning my mail on the 16 I managed to get pretty well thro' with it by last night & now have finished all my business letters. So I have good four hours to spare. I am glad of it for I do not get much time to read nowadays & I shall be laying off on my sofa so soon as I scratch off this epistle to you —
I wish I could take you to see Nellie I think you would agree with me that she looks better than when at home She charged me to give her love to you & to say how much she had missed hearing from you these past mails
     When we get to living in the country I think we shall all be more jolly — There I have been called off to settle a dispute about two bags of Sugar which a Scotch skipper refused to sign B/L for — Sawney agrees to do as I want him We are to have a dinner party this week on a big scale and kill the fatted calf — a great rarity here you must know

If you would come you should have Benjamins portion —
Rob, I have read Gen^l Hunter's answer to the congressional inquiry about the black regiments and think the old soldier had quite the right of it — If you want to follow the military line of life get the command of a company in one of those now despised Regiments — There is no reason why blacks in America should not make as good troops as in the West Indias. They are better material than the Sepoy regiments of British India, the Indigenes (French) of Cochin China, or the Japals employed here by the Spaniards — Each & all of which when well led make good troops — N. d. cuidado as the Spaniards hereabouts say — Anglia it is your lookout —

Ever affectionately yours
Ogden E. Edwards

Dear Annie — I send you a kiss & a hug; a loving remembrance from Nellie and a smile from Katy —

Most affectionately
Ogden