Letter, Granville W. Belcher to Mary Caroline Belcher; 26 February 1862

              Suffolk, VA February the 26 1862
My Dear Mary,
I take the present opportunity of writing you a few lines to inform you that I am yet in the land of the living but I am not entirely over my attact of phreumatism. I am mending slowly. I a greateal (great deal) rather be with my Company than to be here because of it. Is that that Yankeys will take this place. If they do we are whiped because they will have possession of two railroads and Nancemond River. Nancemond River runs on the north side of this city or town or Suffolk or whatever you ma please to call it. Then here comes the Weldon and Norfold road. This runs rite threw the centre of the town. Then on the south side of the town, the Petersburg, Norfolk. The Roanoke Potesmoth is the road that runs threw the centre of this town. The road that runs on the south side of this place is the Petersburg and Norfolk road. I first misrepresented the roads. The citizens of this town are verry mutch allarmed.	Some of the ladis has left and gonn out in contry. All of the prisoners that was taken in the right one Roanoke Island has bin sent home on parole of on or about five hundred of them past here yesterday. There is several carloads passes here everyday. They are at liberty til they are exchanged.