Letter to Laura Ann Arnold (Jackson)

Containers:

Box 2, Folder 2

Scope and content:

Written from Lexington, Virginia. In the letter Stonewall Jackson announces his engagement to Mary Anna Morrison.

Language:

English

Other descriptive data:

Lexington, Va.

My Dear Sister,
I don't know whether you have yet returned from your visit to Aunt's but I will write to you now, as I have the time and might not have so much leisure in a few days hence and I will begin by stating that I have an invitation for you, and what do you think it is? & who from? For it is not often that I am authorized to send you invitations and especially pressing ones and I suppose you will begin to think or may think well what does he mean? Why doesn't he tell me at once & be done with it.

Well you see I have finished & hope I am done with the first page of my letter & am running on at a tremendous rate, so that if I don't tell you soon, you will hardly get it all from this sheet. Well now having cultivated your patience a little as all women are said to have curiosity I will tell you that Miss Mary Anna Morrison, a friend of mine in the Western part of N. Carolina and in the Southern part of the State, is engaged to be married to an acquaintance of yours living in this village & she has requested me to urge you to attend her wedding in July next. To use her own words she says "I hope your sister will come. You must urge her to do so. I should be very glad if she could come." The wedding is not to be large. I told her that I would give the invitation & having done so, feel that I am free from all further responsibility in the matter. I told her that I didn't think that you would be able to accept it, and if you can't just let me know in your next & transfer the invitation to your humble servant, and he will not decline, for he is very anxious to go as he is much interested in the ceremony & the occasion & the young lady is a very special friend of mine.

I hope that you have had a very pleasant trip to the River. I deposited in our bank a few days since twenty dollars & transferred the evidence of deposit to Wirt & forwarded it to him stating that he might expect more next July.

The present which you made Ellie was never made up, & if you can dispose of it in any way I think that I will send it to you when John Bosworth goes home for I suppose that Anna would feel some delicacy in having it made up. Our weather is beautiful at present & I suppose that spring will rapidly advance now.

Give much love to all.
Your affectionate brother,
Thomas

Subjects:

Correspondence

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