March 6, 1862

My dearest Eleanor,

I pray this letter finds you in continued good health, though I confess the weight of winter has pressed heavily upon my spirit. Winter’s harshness deepens with the knowledge that mere miles separate us, when in better times I might have passed these cold months in the warmth of your presence. Your recent correspondence arrived as a beacon of divine light piercing the gathering darkness that has threatened to overwhelm my soul. Through yo...