Atlanta, Ga. Aug. 23rd 1864
My Dear Wife,
As Jesse Gregory starts home in the morning I thought it not amiss to write you again although I wrote you a few days ago, but I expect this will beat it home. I am sorry to have to report that Thos. W. Glase of my Company was killed this morning at 10 while on picket. The ball struck his arm and passed through his body, killing him instantly. There was also killed the same night, of our regiment, a man by the name of Whiteker from Buncombe, shot through the head, also 2 wounded slightly Denis Tippitt of my Co slightly in head & one of the Jackson boys slight in arm. I came in from the Regt last night our regt was to go on picket last night. I have heard from them this morning none was hurt last night. I saw while at the ditches a shell burst & mortally wounded 2 men, shells are bursting & falling all the time around our works. I cannot see how it is that no more men is not killed & wounded than is. Atlanta is shelled all the time, some body is killed in the city nearly every day or night. They killed an Adjt. General yesterday, while walking by the side of a young lady & wounded her severally if not fatally in the thigh. I reckon it does Sherman good to kill women & children, to burn houses to pieces. If he would charge our works I think he would find it not so easy as to shell a town 3 or 4 miles off. I have no news only grapevine from Va. or Mobile. Its said that Forrest has whipped the Yanks again in Miss & run them to Memphis its said that Wheeler has Capt. Dallon & Ringold & tore up the R Road & burned the Etewa & Oastonola & Chickmaga Bridges if so Mr. Sherman will have to get away from here or take Atlanta as his rations will get short soon. I wrote you in my last that I had resigned my resignation was excepted. I made application for leave of absence which was not granted so I will have to wait until my papers returns from Richmond. They started about the 16th I give them 15 days to get there, though it may take a month. If I am not pressed into service here I will start home as soon as I get them. I hope all will be right & I may not be interrupted but a body cannot tell as we have the most corrupt government on earth made so by the officers.
I have just written Mrs. Glase, she lives in Rabun. I have also written Beng that if I failed to be with you when you are confined that I wanted him to be there so you will write him about the time you think he ought to come. Several other officers of our regt have resigned & others speak of it, Capt. Hughes, Mount & Dyche & Lt. Cagle & Whiteker have resigned. Reid made application for a furlough to be with his wife when confined which was disapproved. He speaks of resigning but I doubt is as the prospects are now very favorable for him to be promoted provided the men don’t all desert as soon as this campaign is over. Many have gone already & they only promised to stay as long as I did & they don’t intend to brake that promise. I would not be surprised if the regiment blows up before long. I wish I was there to take a drink of cider with my old gal & babes & eat some beans & potatoes for diner & a little bread & butter for supper & then bed time would come & then oh how happy I should be & how good I would love. I know you would laugh to see me sitting off in the bushes with a board on my lap writing & my old letters & papers & envelops & shirt down & socks & haversack gathered around me writing you. I will close hopin to realize my wishes & dreams soon. Kiss my sweet little babes often for me, my love to all my other letter was in answer to yours, this is extras the other probably may give you more news than this although we have but little of interest here all on home thoughts. I ever remain your own true old boy & loving husband…..Alfa
Camp near Love Joy Station, Ga
Sept 13th 1864
My Dear Wife,
I wrote you by Jess Gregory & rec’d a letter from you the same day he started dated the 12th Aug. Wrote you the 29th & on the 30th the R Road was cut & I suppose you will never get it & on the night of the 1st inst we evacuated Atlanta & fell back to this place. We lost greatly by the evacuation of Atlanta in supplys & munitions which I suppose you have saw in the papers, now the Yanks have gone back to Atlanta & all is quite here now & our army generally is in camps our Brigade lost but few men in the retreat. Bud Young of my Co is missing we don’t know anything about him, Crawford lost none. Our Regt has had no fighting to do since we fell back. The health of the Regt is pretty good. Snipe McLoud got in last night he gives a gloomy account for Macon in regard to torys. There as & John Hopkins & Bill Cline helps the cause very much. I think the citizens ought to have hung them. He brought Coleman lots of brandy & I reckon all is right with them. We had a hard march for several day & nights coming here, but have a very pleasant camp now & will commence drilling this morning. We have been making out pay notes for several days & I suppose the army will be paid some. I have heard nothing from my resignation yet but am looking for it any day, I hope it will come back soon all right. Some of the officers & many of the men are trying to get me to withdraw it but no I am not disposed to remain any longer under Coleman. If I could get out I am very anxious to be with you at this present time, but I fear it is out of my power now. I got a letter from Beng this morning & he said you had written him to attend you & that he was going to do so, which is great news to me. He wants Tim to go up & do some coopering for him. I would like very much to oblige him & if I get home soon probably can but at present under the circumstances I am not willing for Tim to leave home. Mr. Batey is a good cooper & probably can get him. I saw Youngs Batl. of Cavalry a few days ago. I saw Lt. F. Blakely of Rabun & others that I know. I joined Blakelys Co provided my papers come back all right. What do you think of that? Will you loan me one of your horses or mount me on an oxen or an ass. I am very sorry to hear of the death of Mrs. Ford we have lost a good & accommodating neighbor & friend. Sorry to hear that Mr. McCoy & Caloway is so low. Snipe thinks they cannot live. I hope Beng has paid off my note with McCoy the bill I got from McCoy was fives the largest I want that paid right off, as for Linda Pate living with us as one of the family, that suits me & I will build a room for her things when I come home. I have not saw your Cosuin Joe Gray since we left Atlanta but learn he is safe. I saw him a short time before he had been to Tenn on a furlough his friends & relations generally well he told me that they was doing well not being acquainted I cannot tell you anything. I am glad to hear that Brother Sam has got home & is so sober. I hope he will stick to it & be a man & gentleman, he has sense a plenty to do well & can get the good side of anybody & a better hearted boy never lived. I got a letter from him also from Joe last Sunday, I wrote Samey and sent it to Joe to give it to him as he did not tell me how to direct my letters. Capt. Hughes & Bristole get a 10 day detail to go to Cherokee after their men, starts today I will send this by them as they will go through Clarksville.
I will not write Beng as he probably may be at ( I cant read the rest of the sentence) I have never heard from my trial yet. I have no war news to write our army is all quite. We sent up several hundred wagons & ambulances after the women & children of Atlanta, they are coming…Sherman drives the poor Atlantains from, their home deserters & prisoners is coming in daily from the Yanks army, under President Davises proclamation giving former (?) & sending them home. I am so nervous that I cannot write I hope my next letter to you may be a verbal one. we are camped on the Macon R Road 25 to 30 miles south of Atlanta, as I have nothing else to write Ill close, hoping you may have an easy time in your now trying sickness & be all well soon. & me be with you to see your boy, my love to all kiss my babies often for me & believe me ever your own devoted husband
Alfa
Love Joy Station, Ga. Sept 17th 1864
My Dear Wife,
Your very kind letter of 26 Aug came to hand 2 days ago & I assure you it was greatly received & read many time or. I wrote you a few days ago & sent it by Capt. Hughes to be mailed at Athens or Clarksville, which I hope you will get in a few days. Well I thought a few days ago that I would get to come home as soon as my papers got back from Richmond but it’s a mistake, they was disapproved on the ground of my being under arrest. I also had sent up another application for a leave of absence but it has not been heard from. So I have concluded to let them ride. If they can afford to feed & pay me to do nothing I can stay but as soon as I am released I shall resign. The boys are generally well they are writing this morning as Lt. Angel starts home this evening to Yancey, he belongs to the 29th Regt. Issac Waldrope shot himself through the hand day before yesterday, report say he did it to get to go to the hospital as he has only been back 2 or 3 days. He says he married while there the, Col. has him in the guard house for it, it is a bad wound & may cause his hand to be amputated. I think you will do right to let Andy go as he is so worthless. I would have nothing more to do with him. I think you can get along with Tim now as the crop is made, you are right don’t let him work for anybody only for grain or meat then at old prices.
I woke this morning crying. I was dreaming that we had to move to Missouri & I was sending you & the children with some other family & I had to stay awhile before I could go. I thought we was in our old room at Pas & I kissed you & said in a low tone, I don’t want you to go until I go & was crying but you did not hear me but said if I had rather you would wait for me, but I took the second thought & said you was ready & I would over take you in a few days. I was in hopes that my application would be approved & this was a token, but this morning orders came aournd that no more furloughs or leaves of absences would be granted, so I have no hopes of getting off soon, also order came round to issue 4 days ration & have them cooked by Monday morning which indicates a move but we have no moving orders yet. The boys thinks that is some of them that we will go to Blue Mountain Ala, others say Va. I have no idea my self. I do trust & hope your confinement is over and you & the babe is well & doing well, you may imagine how anxious I am for your safety. I have done everything in my power that was honorable to be with you, but have failed. I do hope that the day is not far distant when I can be with you. I hope Beng is with you & all is right I fear you are doing to much & trying to do to well, you are doing and managing very well & I hope you want take on because everything you want done cannot be done in a day, be patient I will assist you before long I hope. Your Cos Joe Gray was over to see me this morning. His health is not good he has been puny for a week or so looks wasted. I will close write as often as you can. I will write you again soon, kiss my babes often for me, my love to all. I had like to forgot to tell you that I am a splendid washer I washed my shirt, drawers, socks, towel & handkerchiefs yesterday & they look well. I did it in a very short time at that. I could draw some money now but as I have no chance to send it to you or don’t need it, I won’t draw now. I will close ever believe me your true devoted loving husband.
Alfa
Camp 5 miles North of Palmeto Station on Westpoint & Atlanta R Road
Sept 25th 1864
My Dear Wife,
As this is Sunday evening & all is quite I thought I would write you a few lines although I have nothing strange to write. I have written you 2 or 3 times since I have rec’d a letter from you, though I know you have written regular but we have been moving about so often that letters will hardly find us soon. I wrote you by Capt. Hughes & he would mail it at Athens or Clarkesville & a few days later I wrote & sent it by Lt. Angle, which will probably be mailed at Greenville, SC or Asheville, NC. I wrote you in that, that we would probably move soon, so we did the next day for this place about 25 or 30 miles. We now are about the same distance from Atlanta as at Love Joy Station only we are now between Atlanta & Montgomery in stead of Macon. We was fast of 3 days coming we fortified our time here & most all the troops have gone in to regular camps. I don’t know of any Yankees close though about Atlanta & I don’t know the object of the move unless it was to keep them from Ala & Miss where the most of our supplies are. I suppose you have saw an account of Earleys Big fight in the volley of Va. I suppose he got wasted though I have not saw any account of the fight. We have many camp runners of peace & amirteses all of which I fear will not soon come. Prescient Davis come to Palmeto Station today & I cecon will visit the army tomorrow. I am very anxious to hear from you I hope & pray all is well with you & that I will soon be with you. I wrote you sometime ago about going in to an Independent Company of Scouts to be composed of resigned officers well I think the Co will be raised. I have just been to seen Capt. Henderson who has the authority to make it Co. & he says he thinks we will organize in a few days & he will have all the officers who join him relieved & he will furlough us for 60 days to go home & mount our selves. He has promised to let me off as soon as possible, though thinks though a week probably I hope he will. Ried, Crawford, Fisher & Brown of our Regt has joined & I suppose other officers of our Regt will though he has already 70 or 80 now could get a Regt if he wanted. Crawford, Reid & myself intend if the Yanks over run our county to take our familys west of the Miss. River. Capt. Henderson says we are right in that & I think so, we will talk this all over when I come home. I have not heard from my trial yet, I am just lying around with the cooks & commissary nothing to do. I don’t feel like I am a soldier, I helped the boys make their ditch & stayed with them a day or so & then come to the cook train about a mile in the rear of the ditches, though I expect our Brig will move tomorrow close to us. The boys are generally well, John Rusell was sent to the hospital from Palmeto. Isaac Waldrope dodged the guard the day before we started & I reckon went to the hospital at Forsythe as he said he married there. The sick boys are getting well & coming in John Bates got in a day or so ago from home. He says he saw Pa a few days before he left & Pa said you & family was well, that gave me pleasure though I know you have been confined ere this & I do hope all is well with you & babe. I dream about you nearly every night & I think I will soon be with you. I have done everything honorably to get to be with you & have failed so far, but I now think I will succeed I hope so & I shall still continue to try until I git loose from the present command.
This country is very much like ours, quite hilly land, pretty good water good & plenty, plenty of corn. We get plenty of corn bread, meat rations short 1 lb beef per day not enough but little grumbling. We have not got any bacon since we have been here & I don’t think we will soon, no flour either, pretty tuff living, but nobody says much about it. We have it reported that a large number of our soldiers in Northern prison have broke out & are coming south I hope it is so & they may get through safe. Sorry to hear of old Mr. Calloways death. I hope Gibbs McDowell will have all Tenn. horse theifs killed & arrested by this time. What does the people mean by letting them commit such depredations & stay in their country? I suppose they have killed their leader the man who shot Bud Allman. I fear our people who are left at home to protect the women & children, are to week kneed to defend their own home & selves. As its late I’ll stop for today & finish in the morning, probably I can think up something else as I have written so often & the same thing that its of no interest to try to say any thing about the past and as the future is dark to me, I’ll say nothing about it but hope for the better.
26th Well I have nothing strange to write this morning only Obidiah Williams has just come to see me. He looks very natural & is full of life. His health is not good, he’s been in bad health a long time not able for full duty, is on hospital duty, he says he cannot express his respects to you & your mother & family, he would be so anxious to see you all. I am glad to see him he is all talk & ask a thousand & one questions about the people of Macon. He sends his respects to every body & especially to you & Mrs. Gray. I suppose President Davis reviews the army today but I will not go to see him as Obediah is with me. He says Tira Tatham, has gone home or furlough, he is Capt. in a Ala Regt. Obe belongs to the 9th Ark Regt Reynolds Brig. He looks very natural only his hair is nearly all come out. I have nothing else to write I hope Ill beat this to you but if I don’t get off soon I will write you again in a few days. If I get off from here I’ll go to Montgomery as I have some baggage there & I want to see Betty also & it is but little out of the way & she may go home with me. I will close kiss my babes often for me also the one I have not saw yet, tell her as I know it is a girl that Papa will be at home before long to keep her, if you write direct to Palmeto, Ga. I’ll stop I ever remain your own true devoted. Alfa
5 miles North of Palmetto, Station, Ga. Sept 27th 1864
My Dear Wife,
I finished you & sent to Palmetto yesterday a tolerable long letter, but as a man form our Regt starts home to Buncombe Co. I know how long it takes a letter to go from the army I thought I would write again, although I have nothing of interest to write. I have written you 3 or 4 times since I have rec’d a letter from you but I know it is not your fault. We left Love Joy Station on Sunday after I wrote you by Lt. Angel & marched part of 3 days crossed the West Point & Atlanta R Road & fortified & the army generally has gone in to camps, we know of no Yankees closer than about Atlanta. I suppose this move was in order to prevent our supplies & communications being cut from Ala & Mississippi we are about the dame distance from Atlanta as at Love Joy 25 or 30 miles. The health of the Co is very good & the strength of the army is growing the sick & wounded are returning daily. John Bates of my Co returned from home a few days ago. He said he saw Pa a few days before he left & pa said you & babes was well, that give me great satisfaction but you hardly can imagine how anxious I am now to hear from you as I know that you have had the trying time & that again without me but I do hope all is right & you & your babe is well & doing well. I tried every honorable means to get off to be with you but failed. I hope & think I now will get off in a few days as Capt. Henderson of Texas has the authority to make a Co out of officers who may resign to act as scouts in the trans Mississippi dept & to keep the communication open. Crawford, Fisher, Reid, Brown & myself of our Regt have joined the Co & I suppose we will organize in a day or two. He says he will have us relieved right off & give us a 60 days furlough to go home & mount our selves & many officers are joining. We think it the best service we can get into, besides it may pay very well, better than all its independent under nobody but the Capt. it is away from the big armymore than that Crawford Reid & my self think we will put our famlys west of the Mississippi this winter. What do you think of that? I think our country is bound to be over run & I for one want my family away when that takes place & I think west of the Mississippi is the place, once there we would have Mexico to fall back on in case of emergency. I wish we was there now. President Davis reviewed the army yesterday. I don’t know what he thinks of us as we get no papers here or letters this country is a good deal like ours quite hilly, water plenty & fine crops, but pretty well destroyed by the Yankee & our army, many of the people here left their homes & others are leaving. Our rations are only tolerable we get plenty of corn bread & one pound of beef per day no bacon or flour, pretty tough bot no body grumbles. John Rusell was sent to hospital the day we got here, pretty sick we have not heard from him since. Willie Morrow or Vanhook was sent the day we left Love Joy Station not dangerous (bowel complaint). Isaac Waldrope shot himself through the hand & the Col. put him in the guard house for it & he dodged the guard & I reckon went to the hospital at fortysthe as he had just got back from there & reported that he had married while there. Obidiah Williams spent the day with me yesterday. He looks like the same old Obe, looks like he always did only he is quite poor been sick all summer, something like scropalo. He was very glad to see me & the boys generally. He says he has no language that can express his kind regards to you & Mrs. Gray. He asked a thousand & one questions about all the people & says he wants to visit the country but he is trying to get sent to Hot Springs in Ark soon. I have just heard that Forrest has took Athens, Ten with 14,00 prisoners & 500 wagons & arms & a large amount of commissary goods, I hope it true. We have heard that Early had a big fight in Va & got the worst of it, I hope no, I have no other war news. Obediah belongs to the 9 Ark Regt Reynolds Brig Co H. John Reid had just come from camp which is about a mile off. He got a letter from Job yesterday evening dated 10th which brings this good news of your safety through & the fine gall children at Reids, Sloans & A. W. Bells. Good honorable gall children is a fine sign of peace. Reid & Fisher has come for us to go & see if we will organize today our Co. I have heard nothing from my trial, still stay with the cooking Dept though I helped the boys dig their ditch then I came off to the cook Dept, I go over to the Regt every day or two.
28th I stopped writing & went to camp with Reid & Fisher to my surprise an joy I recd a letter from Mollie informing me of my red headed daughter & ask me how I like a red headed child among my black headed children. As I was always fond of red things particular shoes & gloves, of course I like red headed children. She said she thinks I ought to hall off, I beg to differ with her as I am for peace & gall children is a sure sign of peace. If she recollects a few years ago that there was a perfect shower of boy children, see what a war has followed. I think the women ought to patronize me if they are for peace girl children is taken a sign of that hopeful peace. I am glad all is over & you & baby is doing well, I hope you are well ere this. I am sorry to hear that Patsey & Sallie is sick I hope they are well. I think Sallie has been a great bother to you & as soon as she gets up you had better tell her that she needs to look for a home as you are over stocked with sickly women & that you have taken care of her your part & get shet of her before cold weather sets in for she may be down all winter.
Well I with Crawford & others tendered another resignation & joined Henderson Co, the Col. dismissed me for duty & excepted my resignation by being under arrest before prevented my resignation from being excepted before so he fixed it all right this time. He sorta excepted the others but wrote a lot of stuff on them that I fear will prevent their expectance & C. Henderson says we will organize in a few days. Gen. Stewart promised to relieve us all as soon as the Co was organized we then will get 60 days furlough which I am very anxious to take it an once so I may be at home very soon or I may have to remain until our papers return from Richmond so I cannot say for certain yet but will know in a few days & I will let you know either verbally or by letter soon. I have little grapevine this morning, 4 days rations is to be prepared I reckon is orders if so there is a march up soon probably for Blue Mountains Ala or Gen. Stewart rear. I saw Frank Tatham yesterday he has resigned & thinks he will get off home soon. I will close as I am out of soap kiss all my babes for me & tell the youngest that she will get to see her Pap soon very soon I hope, my love to all I ever remain your own devoted Alfa
PS don’t send those papers until further orders as I may not be here to get them.