A Letter April 1, 1863 7 in the evening hour My dear beloved, Only time will tell upon which the enemy will break over the cascade of hilltops resting ahead of me. My fellow soldiers and I were given precise instructions to defend this here border of Gettysburg, a small town in the state of Pennsylvania. I know this war has kept me longer and farther away from you than we both had expected, but these are the circumstances and duties that have been set before me. God has seen it fit that my inward heart be changed into a more humble man for thee. This unsettling war is mighty in many ways, my love, but I am writing to you in full health and what grace I have left within me. There is talk amongst the men that a means of peace is in the works, that this devilish war may finally meet its end. To make even the worse of things there is news that a probable document is set to abolish the deed of slavery. I do say love, this world is changing. For the better? I do not know. Yet within me I fear for the generations to come. Only time will tell, but may God guide us through the inevitable. I pray, wait for me. Do not leave me for that of another. My love for you is eternal, bound for the ages to come. Time may very well move forward and death will arrive at our doorstep - sooner me than ever - but this will not remove the everlasting bond of love shared between us. I will write in the morning break in the first hour if God Himself finds fit for #life to keep me sustained. With love, H. W. Plainview