Centralia, Ill. Aug 31, 1863(Note: This letter is by William's wife, Sarah Ann Cunningham-Parkinson)
Lieutenant Smith,
We all feel very grateful to you for your kind letter, which we received concerning the death of my husband. I was denied the privilege of waiting on him, of standing by his dying bed, of hearing his last words, and to hear those particulars from one who was with him is indeed a very great comfort, and as we heard but very few incidents of his sickness we would be very glad to hear them from you, as he had written to us of you, of your respectability and piety, we know we can rely on what you write to us. He was very dear to us all and we would gladly hear all the particulars. We would like to know if he thought he was dangerously sick, if his sufferings were great, if he spoke of his family and home and of death, and if so, what he said, if he was made comfortable, and everything about him, every little incident we would be so glad to know, every word and wish of his would be a valued treasure to me.
©2006 C.S. Parkinson