Your letter has come to hand. According to request, I send you immediately a few hurr[ied] lines in response. My dear loving boy, I wish things were situated so you could be with me, & we could be together for a while, where we could enjoy each others society & sweet friendship & you could talk freely. I am sure it would do you good, & it would be a great pleasure to me. But we must take things as they are. I have thought over some passages in the letter, but will not at present say much to you on the subject, in writing. One or two things I will say briefly at present—One is, that it is every way the best & most natural condition for a young man to be married, having a companion, a good & affectionate wife—& another is, that contentment with one's situation in life does not depend half so much on what that situation is, as on the mood & spirit in which one accepts the situation & makes the best of it.
But these are bits of cold wisdom. I must put something to you better than that in my letter. So I will cheer my boy [&] tell you again, Benton, that I love you dearly, & always keep you in mind, though we are separated by hundreds of miles. Remember this, dearest comrade, when things are cloudy with you, for it is true—& such thoughts are often a balm & comfort to the mind.
Write to me often as you can. Don't mind because we are separated now, as things are. We will meet one day, I have no doubt. Try to keep up the same brave heart in the affairs of peace, that I know you did when you were a soldier. A young man's life is a battle any how. Noble—thrice noble is he who steadily carries throughout the march, through defeat or whatever happens, a gay, unconquered spirit.