James Derr's Blog

Last of the "Letters Series" of Books

 I will be releasing the last book in the "Letters Series" in a few weeks.  It will be available in hard cover, soft cover and eBook formats on Amazon.  This book will put the last bookend on the life and times of John W. Derr and his wife Magdalena.  I published the books a bit out of order with the first book being the end of their story...Widow's Due...and now this last book being the start of the story.  I Take My Pen in Hand is more of a compendium and a reader's guide for both books and sits in the middle of the group in the series.  But enough of that...

Coming in July, 2023 is A Horribly Beautiful Life, the story of John W. Derr from his birth until his death.  It overlaps A Widow's Due and is also consistent with the letters printed in I Take My Pen in Hand.  

I want to thank all of my readers for their kind words and suggestions on these writings.  They mean a lot to me and I believe that the suggestions have made me a better writer.  Though this is the end of the "Letters Series"...it is not the end of my writing.  I will be exploring other topics that rattle around in my brain and hopefully can put them to paper.

Stay tuned for the release of my new book...A Horribly Beautiful Life.   Thank you.

You can check on the status of the books as well as order via:

www.jamespderr.com

Jim 

A New Year...A New Book....

 

After many years of research and translation, I have finally completed my second book.  I Take My Pen In Hand is the compilation of forty-nine letters written home by my great-great grandfather, John W. Derr.   The letters span the period of September 1861, when he enlisted in the Union Army in the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, until July of 1865, when he was mustered out.

The book includes narratives on the terms, phraseology, and timeline for John and his famous regiment.  John was a farmer who decided to add some adventure to his otherwise mundane life, by enlisting along with friends and family members.  The letters tell the story of a common soldier more interested in the caretaking of his money, then of the battles he fought.  Wounded and captured once, sick many times, the book captures the rapid change in his attitude about war as his life was forever changed.

I Take My Pen In Hand is a reading companion for my first book, A Widow's Due, putting John's post war life into perspective.

I hope you enjoy both books.

They can be found on Amazon.

I Take My Pen In Hand

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096GTDVPH/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=james+derr&qid=1622723971&sr=8-2

A Widow's Due

https://www.amazon.com/Widows-Due-James-P-Derr/dp/B091NPSMF6/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=james+derr&qid=1622723971&sr=8-3

Jim D

Another Update on A Widow's Due

The book is now available in all three readable formats; Kindle, Hardcover and Paperback.  Each, of course, with their own price point.  
The latest version is the paperback, of which I am extremely pleased.  I decided to do the paperback in the same size as the hardcover (6x9), vs. the mass marketing style of 4x7 or 4x8.  I think it just looks nicer and feels and reads more like a hardcover.  I hope you enjoy it.
I am still waiting on Amazon approval for the hardcover to be available there (it can can 2-4 months for them to approve of the book quality).  So, the book is available in hardcover from Lulu publishing at: 
https://www.lulu.com/search?q=a+widow%27s+due&adult_audience_rating=00
This is a print to order service, so it takes a few weeks after ordering to have the book printed and shipped.  The price is higher than normal, since this is a self published book.  By the time you print, pay publishers fees and distribute/ship, the cost goes up.  In a few months, the book will be available on Amazon under a Global Distribution agreement.    Sometimes these distributors have discounts available that are publicized, so I encourage you to look for the 10-20% discount promotions that are run routinely.  In the case of Lulu, I have found that the discount codes are usually located right on the home page of lulu.com.  Check it out before you order there.
The Kindle version (to buy or to read free if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited) and the paperback version are available at Amazon at:
https://www.amazon.com/Widows-Due-James-Derr/dp/B08HTB492V/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=a+widow%27s+due&qid=1601558373&sr=8-1
Thank you to all who have already purchased the book and have sent comments, recommendations and congratulations.  I really appreciate the feedback.  Interestingly enough, I have had a few folks ask me questions outside of the timeframe covered in the book.  For example, there were quite a few questions about John Derr's army service during the Civil War.  This blog covers quite a bit of that information, but I have decided to begin a second book dedicated to that service, which follows the Letters he wrote home during the war.  That will come out later this year, or early next.  So for those interested...stay tuned.



Lastly, a third book is also in the works which will cover the full life of John W. Derr.  It will overlap, somewhat,  A Widow's Due  and the second (yet to be named) book mentioned above.  That will come out later in 2021.
I have opened up a separate website for the books and in the future this blog will migrate to this new website.   You can see more here:
www.jamespderr.com
and email can be sent to info@jamespderr@gmail.com
Of course, the email for this blog is still open at:
jwdletters@gmail.com

Jim D

A Widow's Due now available in hardcover!

Hi all,
As mentioned in the prior posting, the Kindle eBook version of A Widow's Due is out and available on Amazon.  It is available for purchase, as well as through Kindle Unlimited, for those who subscribe to that service from Amazon.
The book is now available in hardcover from Lulu publishing at: 
https://www.lulu.com/search?q=a+widow%27s+due&adult_audience_rating=00






This is a print to order service, so it takes a few weeks after ordering to have the book printed and shipped.  The price is higher than normal, since this is a self published book.  By the time you print, pay publishers fees and distribute/ship, the cost goes up.  In a few months, the book will be available on Amazon under a Global Distribution agreement.    Sometimes these distributors have discounts available that are publicized, so I encourage you to look for the 10-20% discount promotions that are run routinely.
Thank you to all who have already purchased the book and have sent comments, recommendations and congratulations.  I really appreciate the feedback.  Interestingly enough, I have had a few folks ask me questions outside of the timeframe covered in the book.  For example, there were quite a few questions about John Derr's army service during the Civil War.  This blog covers quite a bit of that information, but I have decided to begin a second book dedicated to that service, which follows the Letters he wrote home during the war.  That will come out later this year, or early next.  So for those interested...stay tuned.



Lastly, a third book is also in the works which will cover the full life of John W. Derr.  It will overlap, somewhat, A Widow's Due and the second (yet to be named) book mentioned above.  That will come out later in 2021.
I have opened up a separate website for the books and in the future this blog will migrate to this new website.   You can see more here:
www.jamespderr.com
and email can be sent to info@jamespderr@gmail.com
Of course, the email for this blog is still open at:
jwdletters@gmail.com

Jim D

A Widow's Due

I have mentioned in previous blogs...years ago...that I was working on a book that I would release in the near future.  Well...that future is now.  I just release my book, A Widow's Due, on Amazon yesterday in Kindle format.  There will be a hardcover release in a few months, once my publisher sorts out problems that they are having during the COVID crisis.  However, I was impatient and wanted this story to be out there for folks to read and fulfill a life long dream to write it. 

Originally, started as a historical record about my great-great grandfather, John W. Derr (the subject of this overall blog), quickly shifted gears as the research process progressed.  The book touches upon the early life of John, but is mainly about the his widow Magdalena Derr, who was left a widow with two small children after the war.  Her story started to take on a life of its own, that over shadowed John's.  In the future I will put pen to paper to finish the overall story of John W. Derr's Civil War letters, but for now, it is Magdalena's turn.  Below is Preface to my book, A Widow's Due.

In June of 1971, my father bestowed upon me a gift so very rare, I’m still in awe of his courage at doing so. This amazing gift was something that belonged in a museum, not the hands of a twelve-year-old boy. The priceless gift given to me were all the letters written home by my great-great grandfather, during his four years of service in the American Civil War. These original letters, complete with stamped envelopes, were a personal treasure of my father and something for which he’d been the caretaker for over twenty years. At the time, I didn’t appreciate the love and fear he had in passing them down to his only son. With these letters, he’d also given me various old 19th century coins and currency he’d collected from his ancestors, including old Confederate paper money and other artifacts. This sparked in me a great interest for coin and stamp collecting, and he understood it would be a good time for me to learn about both my family history and responsibility.  Later in the summer of 1971, the annual coin and stamp show was held in Vienna, Virginia, at the community center. I’d been going there since I was eight years old, when I’d cut open my piggy bank and was fascinated by the old coins inside. Having received the letters, I decided to take one of them to the event. I showed it to the first stamp dealer I saw, who offered me $250 on the spot. Of course, he was interested in the patriotic envelope and stamp that was part of this particular letter. I was very excited and ran out to the pay phone to call my father and tell him the good news! While on the phone, I could sense my dad’s unease and lack of enthusiasm. He explained to me the importance of the letters and added that he’d entrusted them to me, but they were mine, and I could do whatever I pleased with them. I thought long and hard about what he said, and it was then I understood for the first time the importance of these letters to my family heritage. The scattering of a few letters to dealers here and there would destroy the unique treasure I had and needed to preserve. When I got  home and told my dad I had indeed not sold the letter, I could tell he was proud of me. That was probably one of the happiest days of my life. I’ve come to understand I really am only the trustee for these forty-eight letters, and I need to ensure they stay together…forever.  My great-great-grandfather’s letters also proved to be the catalyst for a much more interesting aspect of my family history. Ever since I was a child, my father had told me of an unknown “family secret” of which nobody knew or spoke. He inquired with my various great-uncles and aunts to find out more about this secret, to no avail; it was to remain buried in family lore, unexposed to future generations. After my aunts, uncles, and grandparents died, both my father and I assumed it would be forever lost and forgotten.  One day in 1987, I decided to go to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., to look at the military service records for my various ancestors who’d fought in the Civil War. During this records search and retrieval, a detailed story began to unfold. The records for John W. Derr were large and robust, unlike my other ancestors, whose records were rather modest. I spent three hours poring over the details on each sheet of paper, copying them as I went along. Soon, it became clear I’d uncovered “the family secret,” and my excitement grew with each page I read. I’d discovered the truly interesting and important story of my family was not of the men patriotically going off to war, but the women and how they provided the strength and survival instincts that made my family what it is today.  This story is about the struggles of one woman in 19th century America and what constituted a “normal” female role in life. It shows what one strong and determined woman could do in a society that didn’t respect those who tried to break out of the norms of the day and how whole communities both respected and reviled what she did to survive those times. What had started as a man’s story soon became a woman’s and forever changed my outlook on life. What began as a family “shame” had changed to one of family “pride.” While I am proud to be the great-great- grandson of a man who spent four years fighting for his country during the Civil War, I’m honored to be the great-great-grandson of his widow, Mary Magdalena Diehl Derr. She was the strong cornerstone in an otherwise harsh and judgmental era. This story is in honor of her, and a statement on the incredible strength and determination of women – for without them, we would all be lost. 
James P. Derr (great-great-grandson of John W. Derr and Magdalena D. Derr)  March 2020 




For those who are interested, the Ebook can be found at the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BYVLDK5/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=widow%27s+due&qid=1593375490&s=books&sr=1-1

Jim D.

Veterans Day 2018 - Thank you again.

This is a repost of my original from 2013.  I am honored to be part of this great American family.

THANK YOU!



I am fortunate to live in this great country and to have had ancestors who fought in the various conflicts to keep all of us free.  My tribute today is to my Father, Grandfather, Great Great Grandfathers and my Mother...all of whom contributed directly to supporting our freedom.




Here's my Dad, Donald J. Derr in 1945...A World War II Navy Veteran:









Here's my Grandfather, Robert V. Price...a World War I Army Veteran:





Here's my Great Great Grandfather, John W. Derr...A Civil War Veteran (48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Co. D):







Here's my other Great Great Grandfather, John Z. Wagner... A Civil War Veteran (55th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Co. E):








And here' my Mom, M. Jane Price...a World War II Victory Farm Volunteer as a teenager:







 My mom always wanted help the effort during World War II and so as a teenager in High School, she volunteer to work on a Victory Farm in Connecticut for the Summer of 1944.  This quite an adventure for a teenage girl from the coal regions of Pennsylvania.


Victory Farm Volunteers was an organization which recruited teenage boys and girls to work on various farms in support of the war effort during World War II.  My mom, like many teenagers of the time, volunteered to work on farms around the country to provide the "man power" lost when the young men went off to war.  It provide both a level of farm continuity as well as a morale boost on the home front.  My mom would later recount how she worked on a tobacco farm in Connecticut...which later in life she regretted due to the type of crop she helped farm.  However....many troops enjoyed the tobacco produced at that farm and her efforts are...in my opinion...very heroic!












 Thanks,

Jim D.

Altered Focus: The "Real" Story

I have not updated this blog in many, many months.   I have been preoccupied developing the "creative non-fiction" book that I am writing relating to John W. Derr and his life.  I say "relating" because my initial focus for the storyline was on him...his life...his service and his sad decline and death at an early age.  However as I worked the normal due diligence of write such a book, I found that the real story lies with his wife...my great-great grandmother...Magdalena Derr, and her struggles after the death of John.  While John's life in the war was unique and interesting...Magdalena's was truly compelling.  It has afforded me the opportunity to better understand my family roots.  How so?  Over the years my focus had been on John and his service during the Civil War.  This was natural, since I have the letters that he wrote home to his family during that conflict.  The benefit of the letters is obvious, in so much as I can understand what the man was thinking on any particular letter-writing day during the war.  Frankly, that was the easy part, and it was somewhat lazy of me to rely only on these letters to define my ancestors...my heritage.  However...the real story lies with his wife Magdalena, who in 1876 at the young age of twenty-four, became a widow with two sons aged two and three years old.  Penniless, spouse-less, homeless...this strong woman managed to figure out how to get by in life.  A lesson for all of us.  A pride that I had for my Civil War ancestor, soon transitioned to his less talked about wife...my 19th century hero!

We tend to focus quite a bit on the men of the Civil War...the soldiers.  Less focus is place on those who were left at home and who struggled to live and cope.  In the case of Magdalena, her husband's war death came in a delayed fashion...eleven years after the end of the war...but a war casualty just the same.  If you have been following my blog, you will know that John suffered from a variety of problems during the war.  Early in his service he contracted rheumatic fever during a bout of bronchitis.  He was wounded in the leg at the second battle of Bull Run and taken prisoner.  He suffered another life threatening bout of pneumonia during the siege of Petersburg.  All of these elements had a life altering, and shortening affect on him...from which he never fully recovered.  Dying in 1876 at age 37, with "Rheumatic Carditis" being his ultimate enemy.

My novel has taken a different branch in the road.  It now focuses on my great-great grandmother, Mary Magdalena Diehl Derr and her survival instincts that allowed her to raise her family...and to love again.  It has taken quite a bit of research to get the full view of her life.  Each little documentary gem that I have found brings me closer to a woman who I never met and for whom I have no photographs.

The project started in 1988 when I happened to talk to a gentleman with a mutual interest in Civil War ancestry.  He told me that the general public was allowed to access records of their ancestor's service via the National Archives in Washington, D.C..  Since I lived in the Metro D.C. area, I excitedly made the trek to national mall to visit the archives.  I was already familiar with John W. Derr's service, but not so much for other ancestors who had served.  I asked my father and mother about our family history regarding the civil war and they gave me information about ancestors, regiments, etc...that I could use to retrieve the respective records of these men.   Armed with a list of men and a Metro fare card, I made my way to the archives.  The process of getting a researcher card as well as a Xerox payment card for any records that I wished to copy, was easy.   I submitted my records requests and in less than an hour, I had the records of four different ancestors who had fought during the war.   Three of the folders measured approximately one inch thick and contained general muster rolls, pension applications, affidavits, etc...  However, one of the folders was approximately six inches thick, containing the same artifacts as the others, but with a twist...many more affidavits and government documents.  I became intrigued with this and began reading and what had been planned to be a two hour copying session, turned into an eight hour reading and copying marathon!

Growing up I spent many hours talking history with my father.  Both of us had a keen passion for history, especially how it related to our ancestors.  The letters of John W. Derr had sparked that interest in him...as it had in me.  I remember as a young boy, my father telling me that the family had a deep dark secret that nobody, still living, knew.  I was always curious about this "deep dark secret".  Unfortunately, with the death of my grandfather in 1970, that secret had gone with him to his grave.  Our family was a typical one from the 1960s and 1970s, with no controversy or issues, so the the thought of a "never spoken about" secret being in the family history was exciting!



The eight hour marathon reading and copying session at the archives had revealed to me just what that family secret contained.  I hurriedly made my way back to the Metro station, and on the way I stopped to call my father from a pay phone.  When he answered the phone I said "I know the family secret!".  Over the next few weeks, he and I spent hours upon hours poring over the copied documents in order to piece together the full story...A story from which my book is based...



Jim D.

Letter #47 -- Camp Near Danville Junction, VA -- April 8, 1865

As the war nears the end, and on the day before General Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of  Northern Virginia at Appomattox, John is again writing home to his parent to give them an update.  An update that but a short two weeks removed from his prior letter of March 26, 1865.

The 48th PVI has now moved from the outskirts of Petersburg, VA to Danville Junction, VA on their way to Farmville, VA in pursuit of Lee's army.   This movement was as the result of General Grant's strategic "boxing" of Lee's army to prevent the latter from escaping the inevitable defeat of this Confederate army.

John writes his letter on April 8, 1865 and given the number of confederate prisoners and the rag-tag condition of Lee's army, he is probably aware of the coming end of the war.  By now, John is tired of the war and long's to come home.  The war has destroyed his body and soul with a continued deterioration of his spirit in his writing.  He has suffered through a leg wound at Second Bull Run, and numerous pneumonias starting in 1861.  Based on his doctor's analysis after the war and after his death in 1876, John suffered from Rheumatic Carditis as a result of having contracted Rheumatic Fever during the his service in the army.  The first instance was in the Fall and Winter of 1861/62 during the 48th PVI deployment to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Subsequent bouts of pneumonia and sickness followed him in 1862, 1863 and in 1864 after his work in the "Crater Mine" at Petersburg.

In his April 8th letter John writes to his parents and his insight is fairly keen.  He describes the fall of Petersburg and Richmond and anticipates Lynchburg and Danville's fall soon.  At this point he doesn't know that the very next day, Lee would capitulate and the his part of the war would be over.  He describes the prisoners (13,000) that he has seen and he is undoubtably happy that war is going the Union way.  He is still a teamster, which has served him well after his wounding.  He mentions his cousins John D. Weikle and that Weikle is "working on his drate (trade)".  I'm not sure what he does, but clearly his parents do. 

  








Camp near Danville Junction, Va.

April 8th, 1865

My Dear Father and Mother,         

            I take my pen in hand to inform this few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I am still driving team yet and expect to stay at yet a while.  I am sorry to hear that Father is sick but I hope till this letter comes to hand that he well again if not sooner.  I let you know that I got the shirt today and it was all right.  You didn’t say whether you was going to send another one or not but I want you to send me the other one too.  We are marching every day and it is very warm all ready.  I suppose you know that Petersburg and Richmond is in our hands and Lynchburg and Danville is gone up before long.  They are fighting every day but our corps ain’t engaged.  They are guarding the wagon train through from Petersburg.  Don’t trouble yourselfs about me.  I am still driving team and are getting along well.  I haven’t been sick since I was at home last spring.  I seen John D. Weikle today and he is well too and is working on his drate (trade).  We are making great calculations about the war being over till fall and I do think it will come so too.  I seen 13,000 rebel prisoners in two weeks time.  That looks pretty good to bring the war to a close.  I seen the City of Petersburg and come through it.  It is a nice place.  We didn’t come to Richmond yet but I hope we will come to see it for we was fighting for it long enough.  I have no more to write today so I will bring my letter to a close for this time.  So this few lines from your son.

                                                                                                John W. Derr

Answer soon and direct your letter as before and let me know how Father is getting along.  So goodbye to you all till we see each other again.  I got the almanac.

A few years ago, I had a friend who gave me two cobble stones that were thrown out during a repaving of downtown Petersburg, VA.  This repaving was done in the 1960s and these stones were eventually carted away as rubble.  They apparently had been in place since the 1840s in Petersburg.  John describes Petersburg as "a nice place".  I wonder if he trod upon these very stones!



Jim D.

Letter #46 -- Camp Near Petersburg, VA -- March 26, 1865

It's been a long time...a long long time.  I should have finished this blog/letters contribution last year and given closure to the letters of John W. Derr.  I was reminded of my delinquency by a follower of this website and for that, I apologize.  With over 100,000 page views, I am well pleased with the results of my project.  I sincerely appreciate the followers, casual viewers and the insightful and kind words people have sent to me.

So...on with the letters...


John references personal information as well as battle information.  From the description of "a small fight here on the 25", I take it that this was the battle of Fort Stedman. General Lee's final gasping attempt to breakout through the Petersburg siege lines and regroup his depleted army. Though John calls it "a small fight", and his casualty numbers are rather large, the official numbers are referenced below in a small paragraph on the battle at Fort Stedman provided by the Civil War Trust website.







Battle of Fort Stedman
March 25, 1865In a last-gasp offensive, Gen. Robert E. Lee amassed nearly half of his army in an attempt to break through Grant’s Petersburg defenses and threaten his supply depot at City Point.  Directed by Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon, the pre-dawn assault on March 25 overpowered the garrisons of Fort Stedman and Batteries X, XI, and XII. The Confederates were brought under a killing crossfire, and counterattacks led by Maj. Gens. Parke and Hartranft contained the breakthrough, cut off, and captured more than 1,900 of the attackers. During the day, elements of the II and VI Corps assaulted and captured the entrenched picket lines in their respective fronts, which had been weakened for the assault on Fort Stedman. This was a devastating blow for Lee’s army, setting up the Confederate defeat at Five Forks on April 1 and the fall of Petersburg on April 2-3.



John also references the I and III Corps, though that seems to be incorrect as well.

John, as always, is concerned about monies that he sent home with friends for his parents to save for him.  Francis Dengler, an agent in town more than likely was able to draw this $50 for John and pass it to his parents.  John is also concerned about the coming summer weather and clothing he has to wear.  During this time, soldiers would switch from a woolen shirt to a cotton shirt, which was cooler in the hot humid months in the south.  As you would expect, he needs new shirts every season, as the conditions in which he lived were rather rough and clothing wore out very fast.





Camp near Petersburg, Va.

March the 26, 1865

My Dear Father and Mother,

            I take my pen in hand to write this few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that this few lines will find you in the same state of good health.  I received your letter the other day and I was very glad to hear from you and hear that the boys are all well again.  I am sorry that you wasn’t at home when Franklin Hoch was there for I would like to have them shirts for this summer.  Them woolen shirts are too warm in summer.  I think you could do them up in some brown paper and put the direction on it and send them by mail.  If two makes too big a bundle send one at a time and let me know whether you are going to send it or not.  You said that you got the money from Francis Dengler.  It was a fifty dollar bill and I think you got it so.  I let you know that we had a small fight here on the 25.  Our loss is about 500 killed, wounded and prisoners and theirs lost about 5,000.  That was quite a haul for about a two hours fight.  Our division wasn’t in the fight only the first and third.  I am glad to hear that all the boys are well again and I am the same.  I have no more to write today so I will bring my letter to a close for this time.  From your son.

                                                                                                John W. Derr

Answer soon and direct your letter John W. Derr, 2ndDivision Ammunition Trainin, 9th Army Corps, Washington, D.C. Peter Derr answer soon.         






     

   
                                                                                            







Jim D

Letter #45 -- Camp Near Petersburg -- March 6, 1865

The war would quickly come to an end in just over one with the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.  Though other theater generals would surrender later and some seafaring Confederate captains would capitulate even later in the year, the surrender of Lee is generally considered the end of the Confederacy.  The men of the 48th PVI sense the end is near and as is documented, none wanted to be the last man to die in battle.

The letter of March 6, 1865 shows a more casual John, which him sending money home with a friend Franklin Hoch and with him requesting more clothing for him to have handy and at the ready.  He even describes the need for handkerchief from home so that he doesn't have to pay the sutler the outrageous price of $1.



Lastly, he describes that he is seeking a pass to see his sister Catharine and her husband Samuel who is stationed at Fort Monroe.  Frequently, wives would accompany their husbands in the field, providing cooking, cleaning and support to the troops.



There are only four more letters in the portfolio of "The Letters of John W. Derr".  Soon I will be closing this segment of the blog and continuing with more general information.  I am open to suggestions and hope that you have enjoyed them so far.







                                                                        Camp near Petersburg, Va.

                                                                                                March the 6, 1865

My Dear Father and Mother,

            I take my pen in hand to inform this few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that this few lines will find you in the same state of good health.  I received your letter the other day and I was very glad to hear from you and to hear that you was all well at the same time.  I let you (know) that Franklin Hoch is gone home on furlough and I did send $50 dollars home with him.  It was in a 50 dollar bill.  Let me know whether he gave it to you or not and I also told him to fetch me two of my best jeck (sack) or (checked) shirts along for me (if) you will please and give them to him and a cotton handkerchief too for me for if I went to buy one out here they will ask me one dollar at least.  I am trying to get a pass to go to Fortress Monroe and see Samuel and Catharine if I can get one.  I have no more to write this time so I will come to a close for this time.  So this few lines from  your son.

John W. Derr to his father and mother          

Jim D.