Item description: Letter dated 27 February 1863 from a slave, Thomas, in Mount Shell, Tenn., to his master, J. M. Oaty, asking him to get a substitute for him in the building of a stockade.
Item citation: From folder 17 of the Wyche and Otey Family Papers #1608, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Item transcription:
Mount Shell. Ten. F. 27 1863
Dear Master and Mistress,
I will send you a few lines to inform you I am not well but I still get along building stockades.
Master I have the cronict dirhea and cannot get rid of it unless I could change climate to water
If you please will you send another Boy in my place I don’t think we will get dun with stockaids under two months so I wish you could relief me if you can do so I would rather you would come with the [?] if you could make it convient it is with diferculty in geting off with out wite person
tell my wife and people all howdy for me I would like to see them all. also you you all Master I give you my best wishes. [So honore?] your servent
Thomas
