I received your letter to-day at eleven Oclock, and I immediately take this opportunity to answer it. In my last letter, when I asked you to let me come home, I did it calmly and deliberately, knowing well what I was doing; I was sick at the time and I mentioned it in my letter. Since writing that letter I have not been able to attend a single recitation, it is utterly impossible under existing circumstances to study; I am unable to do it; my strength will not permit it. You yourself must know, what a strain it must be upon a sick man, to sit for three hours to get a lesson and then to remain another hour on recitation. I wish for and desire a Colege education as much as anybody, but when that education cannot except by the loss of one's health, then I must confess, that it is useless. There is one sentence in your letter I do not understand; it is as follow "if you wish to join the army your Father says the idea is preposterous, in your present state of health, moreover he saw Gov Swain in Raleigh, who said you were well and doing well." You seem to think that I am well because Governor Swain says so. I dont think you meant, that you doubted my veracity, nevertheless an person reading it would think so, but I am pretty certain that you meant nothing of the kind. I dont like to tell you tidings that I know will depress you, yet I must let you know the state of my health. I am so weak now at the present moment that I can scarcely walk a hundred yards without being nearly exhausted. My chills come on about every two weeks and I generally have two in succession; but I have fever near every day. If I were to come home now and you should wish [unrecovered] to come back next session [unrecovered] I could do it very easily and take as good a stand as I do now. As I told you in my last letter, I strove, as long as I could, against the mere idea of coming home, but nevertheless I firmly believe the state of my health imperatively demands it. The session closes the sixth of June. Len will be in Chapel Hill tomorrow a week; he will probably be in Salisbury the ensuing Monday (night). It seems strange to me that our Generals still endeavor to defend places, that cant possibly be defendend against gunboats. About two thousand men were taken prisoners at Island No 10. It seems to me our generals ought to have know better than that. I am very much afraid the yankees will defeat us [unrecovered] Virginia; if we lose Virginia we will lose the "backbone" of the Southern Confederacy. Do you think there will soon be an exchange of prisoners? Len is anxious to fight the Yankees again, says, he is tired of doing nothing. I am sorry Mr Flemming was beaten I thought certainly, he would be elected, if he ran. Frank McNeely was beaten too I suppose. Write immediately and let me know your final decision.