Head Quarters Camp Martin
39th Regt N.C.V. Feby 20th 1862
My Dear Wife
I seat my self to write you a few lines by John Gray as he will start home in the morning. I thought probably that you would like a few lines from your devoted husband. I thought probably when I wrote you last that I might come home but our Battalion has marched for Greenville all but my company to day. We will leave on tomorrow if the wagons come that is engaged to move us. We will go to Greenville & then either to Knoxville or Cumberland Gap. We have very bad news today. The report is & I fear is true that Gen. Pillow & then thousand men have surrendered after a hard & bloody battle. The pickets has been run in at Cumberland Gap also at or near Savannah, Georgia. We now will have to face the enemy or be subdued. I reckon Dobson & his men will have to come out to the defense of the country & those drafted men will have to come forthwith. Well as regards me coming home I should have went from here, but our boys has not recd their money & as they owe me & also wish to send their money back home & we expected to recd it here but our pay master has failed to arrive, I thought it best to go on with them till they recd their money, so I shall go home as soon as my men are paid off. I suppose in ten days or 2 weeks, so don’t be uneasy about me not coming back for the Col. says I can go. You can tell Emelous that the Col. says that he can come on, that he will give him the appointment of quarter master sergeant so I don’t think he need wait for me to come home before he comes. He had best come on by Asheville & then to Greenville, Ten., where he probably will find us. I shall have to leave 5 or 6 of my boys behind that is not able to go on now but will be I think in a few days, all are getting well but it is not advisable to expose them to the mud & probably rain. Now we have had one death in camp a man by the name of Burgous (Burgess ?) from Cherokee, belonged to Capt. Davidsons Company. He the Dr. says had consumption. A blood vessel in his bowels ruptured & he bled to death in a few minutes. He died yesterday morning. Some of the friends will start home with the corps in the morning. I sent my trunk by a wagon that was going on to Cherokee. I paid the man for hauling it. I sent the key by Jas Grant. I shall send my Mantil (coat) by John Gray & also send some money, which you can take better care of than I can. You can send to Leons & get our box & put it in & if you don’t wish to keep it at home you can send it back to his safe. I will put it in an envelope you can count it & see that it all is right. I shall send all that I have only keeping enough for present use. I owe part of it to those people there for our outfit, which I will settle when I come back. I send you by John Gray fourteen hundred dollars put up in two envelopes, one thousand in one & four hundred in the other. Its tied up in hundred dollar packets. There is some change among it so you can have change for your use. I would not let it out only for gold & silver. I will close as I have written you so often that I cannot think of any thing else to write. I have not heard from Manassas since last week. I must stop its 12 o’clock at night. This is the 4th night that I have been up until after 12 writing & attending to business. Kiss my babys, my love to Matt, respects to friends & howdy Liza. I wish I had to go to bed there with you tonight. I would show you how much I loved you.
Ever your true loving husband
A.W. Bell
Camp Harris Greenville, Tn
Feby 28th 1862
My Dear Wife,
I think I ought to write you though I am not due you a letter at this time & have not recd a letter from you since Jas Grant brought me one. I did expect one on my arrival here, but as usual none & worse than all Mike & Woot McLoud came yesterday & I still get no letter. They stayed with us last night & intended starting this evening at 3 o’clock but it is now 9 o’clock & the cars has not arrived yet. I hardly think they will get off before tomorrow evening. They are both well. Woot complains of headache tonight. I hope it will not last him long. Mike will go on to his regt & try to get a transfer to our regt he thinks that there will be no difficulty in obtaining it. We arrived here yesterday after 5 ½ days march through the mud. We are now camped on the side of the R Road offset Greenville & my tent is close to the tree that two bridge boomers was hung on. We got up this morning & found the snow about shoe mouth deep but as the day has been very pleasant the snow nearly gone. The majority of people in town & country is torys but they are afraid to say or do much, but I guess they wish a great deal. I have no war news to write more than you have heard. Nashville I suppose has surrendered to the yanks without resistance. We cannot hear anything definite from that quarter. I fear the yankees are getting the upper hand of us in that section. We cannot account for the cause of no news from that section. I have been very busy all day making out our pay rolls. The paymaster has come & will pay the boys off tomorrow. I think I will start home in a few days. Col. Coleman has gone to Richmond & as soon as he gets back I think I will start. I learn from the boys that Joe Westall & others has got home also that Beng & Barton was there. I should have liked to have been there when they was, but in these times of war we cannot all be together when we wish. I don’t think the war can last much longer there was fifteen thousand (stands?) (?) landed at New Orleans a few days ago also a special messenger from England who had special business with department at Richmond & had proceeded there. It is thought England has recognized the south (I hope so). I left 5 of my boys sick at Reems Creek under Dr. Ragen. I got 2 letters from them today. They are all nearly well. They think they will join us in 8 to 10 days. They are Lieut. J. C. Bird, N. H. Ballew, Marve Stuman, John Griggs & W. H. Longe from Ten. There is 2 of my boys quite sick here but not dangerous, C.C. Matlock & John McDowell all the rest are quite well. Its thought we will be ordered to Cumberland Gap, but we don’t know yet probably will when the Col. gets back. Mike told me that you was saving me a bottle of good peach brandy. I wish I was there to take a drink with you & Matt tonight & then go to bed in a good bed in a warm room next to a good fire with a sweet loving wife & my babys sleeping comfortably close by. I know I would feel good & would enjoy such a treat as that about now, but these wars have deprived many husbands & wives of those pleasures of comfort & enjoyment though I don’t think it will be many days before I will if nothing happens unusual before I will be with you. I will close as it late hoping all is well at home & I will get a letter from you in a day or too, so kiss my children & go to bed & think of me. My love to Matt & relations, howdy to Liza, Lize & Barbery. Good night
Ever your husband
A.W. Bell
Franklin March 5th 1862
My Dear Husband,
I received your letter dated 28th yesterday evening which I do assure you I was glad to get. You complain of me not writing. I have been waiting to find out where to write to. I did not know whether you would stop in Greenville or not. I did not write by Emilus for I did not expect him to get to see you and I thought if he did happen to get to see you he could tell you all the news.
I am now at Pa’s and learned that two of your volunteers are going to start in the morning and I thought that a first plan would be to write by them, so that if you did happen to start home that you might meet them and get the letter, but I have almost come to the conclusion that I will never see you again. I have looked for you so long that I am almost out of heart. I hope though that I will let go all disappointed some of these days before long by seeing you ride up. I know you do not want to come home half as bad as I want you to come. We are all well and getting along as well as could be expected without a man. Mary Jane had a fine daughter Monday night. She is doing very well but wants to see Frank very bad. I do not know which is the worst off her or me. Our daily prayers is that a draft will come and take every married man that can leave home as well as our husbands could. It makes us very mad to see other women enjoying their selves with their husbands and ours gone. Sometimes we get out of heart and take a good cry and then we cheer up and think there is a better day a coming, for if I have as good luck as Mary Jane which I hope will. I can write to you someday and tell you that you have a son or daughter, though I know you wish it would be a boy, I do too.
They have not come with Leander Ledford yet. They are looking him every day. The mail boy passed a wagon yesterday at Browns which he thought was them. They look him tonight. If they get here tonight I will stay until after the burying. If not I think I will go home in the morning for I shall look for you every day until you come. I fear that you cannot possibly come, which I hope will not be the case for I do want to see you so bad. I think you ought to come while Joe is here. Beng and Barton are gone back. Ben says he will come down when you come home. We paid Barton two hundred dollars and took his receipt as Russ and Davis agent. I hope we did right as I do not wish to do anything that you will not approve of. I thought it was best to stop the interest if we could. I wish you were here now for I have got in such a notion to move to the country that I hardly be contented to stay in town at all. I think as long as Bill Baty stays at the old house nearly all the time that they all might move to (?). Tom says that old Baty is not doing anything much over there he is drunk all the time nearly from what I can find out. I do not know what you think about it but I think it would be the best to be over there. I could hire Tom then all the time and put Eliza in the field, by having a big kitchen put up to cook in I could make out very well this summer and I could have a room built before winter for it will be a long time before we get a new house built and we could live in that one and over see the building of a new one. James Crawford is trying to make up a company he called for volunteers up here today. Frank Wells is at Morristown. His regiment is at Cumberland Gap so I think you will be sent there. I must tell you something for fear you will not come home soon that is that you must not drink. I do not care what indicements is held out you must not drink. I hope for my sake you will not think of doing it for I am a poor miserable wretch without you. The world is dark and dreary and in a delusion without the presence and cheering smiles and devoted love of my dear husband. One who is dearer to me than all the world beside and whose love I would not give up and live without for all the wealth the world professes. My earnest wish is that you love me as I do you. With a love as pure as the unsullied snow, tinged with nothing that is unpure and unholy and my earnest prayer is that you will prepare yourself for a better world. Life is uncertain and especially to those who have gone forth to fight the battles of their country. If you live to see your time out and get home. I would glory in knowing you followed through and came out a better man and if you die all I would wish for would be to know that all I had to do would be to live so as to meet you in a better world where there would be no more parting. I will close hoping to see you soon. Pa is going over to take my letter to your boys Young and Waldroup. Think of me often and love me much and hasten home. Fannie and Sallie want to see you very much. Matt sends her love. Ever your devoted wife.
Mary
Franklin Mar 5th 1862
Dear son I have advanced five dollars to Joseph Young & Wm. Waldproop for their expense money to Greenville to your company. They are to pay you the money out of their wages or soon as they draw their wages. James W. Bell & Westall & the rest of the boys about the 20 instant start back to Manassas. James Crawford is making up a volunteer company. He has to have 20 & the promise of more. I think he will get a company. Wm. H. Roane is getting several recruits for Thad Silers company. Mary is at her fathers & will be at home in a day or too. We are all well nothing more of interest. It is snowing now very fast & Ill close write soon & give us your where abouts.
Yours Respectfully
B.W. Bell, Sr.
Head Quarters Camp Harris
Near Greenville, Tenn March 6th 1862
My Dear Wife
I seat myself again to write you a few lines this evening but I don’t know when you will recd it the roads is so bad between this & Asheville & it has been snowing for the last 2 or 3 days. It is a hard time on soldiers in tents. Some of our companys have gone in houses today but my company will not go in to the houses yet. I was offered the basement of the presbyterian church but the boys preferred staying in their tents as they would have had to packed their things ½ mile & then had to cook out doors & then probably when Col. Coleman who is gone to Richmond gets back ordered us in to camp. So the boys concluded to tuff it out a while longer. The snow is about 2 or 3 inches deep & very sloshy.
I have no news to write more than you have heard though we have a report that Gen. Price has whipped the yankees in Missouri, killed 6000 & took the rest prisoners. If true it repays us for Fort Donaldson. Capt. Allens Company from Madison who was taken prisoners on Roanoke Island has & is still passing through here on their way home. They say their commander sold the Island to the Yankees. If so he ought to be burnt & will if he is ever caught in the south. The health of my company is tolerable good considering the exposure we have underwent. Those five that I left behind is about well & they wrote me the would be here in a few days. I have 4 in the hospital here but none dangerous or very bad off, C.C. Matlock, John L. McDowell, J. R. Vanhook & Robt. Bingham. I think the boys with care will soon be up. Dysentery & cold or camp fever is their disease. In fact we all have colds & coughs which is very annoying but I think when the weather gets better that we will get rid of colds & coughs. I suppose you have recd my letter that I wrote you the night Lyle got here. I had written you before he arrived so I said nothing about him. I treated his as kind as I could though I believe him in heart a tory. Had he been in Tenn. I have no doubt he would have showed it. He slept with me he could not get a bed at the hotel. It is very cold this evening. It has stopped snowing but I think will commence about dark again. I wish I was with you in your warm room & then have a good bed & sweet loving wife to sleep with. You may imagine how well I would enjoy it. No pen can tell the satisfaction & pleasure I would enjoy but this war must be ended before husbands & wives can enjoy this pleasure long at a time. I could make my self quite comfortable as I have a nice little white house with 2 rooms to cook & eat in & could sleep there if I would, but it is about 200 yds from camp & my boys has to stay in their tents so I sleep there too. I have changed my mess again Lt. Anderson, G. W. Moore & B. G. McDowell & if Mike comes in my mess we have one of the boy hired to help Dock so we will get along very well. I have not got any letters from you or anybody else at home since I have been here, none from Manassas. My boys has got their money & paid me up like men, so when the Col. gets back I think I will start home. We are looking him every day. The boys are anxious for me to go. They want to send their money home. They drew about 4000 grand. Ma King is dead. She died some 3 weeks ago. Its getting dark & I must close. My love to Matt, howdy to Liza, kiss my babys & go to bed & think of me. I will certainly be with you soon. Ever your true & loving husband till death.
A.W. Bell
Clayton, Ga. March 7th 1862
Dear Mollie
I write you to let our friends know that we did not have to resort to drafting in this or any of the mountain counties that I have heard from. We got 76 volunteers and our quota was 65. All of the counties that I have heard from have over raised the numbers required by Gov. Brown. I learn that our "Big Brotherinlaw" J.J. Moore is elected Captain of the White Co. Company will be at camp McDonald by the 15th inst., which is near Marietta. So say to his Dad that he has gone to the "wars". I expect they will "force" me to accept a position in the medical staff but there is one thing certain I don’t want any position now nor will I accept any until the weather gets warm enough for me to stand camp life. I shall take care of myself while I get able to act, then I am in but our folks are well represented and I don’t care to tie myself to the confederacy. I must look to my home friends and the kinfolks in the army, should they need my services. I can visit them if they are wounded or sick. This makes me not care to leave home for any length of time. We must keep a nest egg at home, in the event of emergencies. Write me when Alf gets home or when he is coming. Why didn’t Joe answer my letter? What did Crawford do with his company or did he get it? Our company leaves on Monday next for the camp. I shall not go with them. I am very strongly solicited, but will wait until they tender me with a commission, then I will answer them. Say to Mat Crawford that I still think she loves me. Can’t you write by return mail? Tell Pa that brandy is selling here at 5 dollars per gallon, none to be had. Did that trifling deserter Park Nichols stay in Franklin any length of time? We were about to hang him here or some of our county folks were.
My love to all
Yours in haste
Benjamin
P.S. Be careful how you sell drugs, double on the price of everything in the drug line they are very high & rising every day. B.
Head Quarters Camp Harris
Near Greenville, Tenn. March 11th 1862
My Dear Wife
I must write you a few lines this evening not that I have anything new to write, nor do I feel that I am indebted to you a letter, as I have not recd a letter from you since I arrived at this place, but knowing that you would expect a letter from me by Saturdays mail, I thought it my duty not to disappoint you. We have not much war news though the train brought us news that there was a battle going on at Winchester, Va. & our forces was sufficient to repell the enemy we also have confirmation of Gen. Prices victory in Missouri also one of our Steam ships of war, I have forgotten her name has sunk two of Abes war ships & was shelling Newport News. No news from the army about Nashville. I think we will have hot times in Ten. before long with the yankees & torys.
Well I have not heard form Manassas since Lyle left here. I have recd no letters from any body only my sick boys that was left in Buncombe N.C. I am looking for them every day now they was all about well. I have 5 sick in the hospital here all nearly well. John McDowell has enesiflos but is much better today, though he has been quite bad off. Vanhook has rheumatism has been helpless but is improving now. I don’t think he can stand the service. I think I will try & have him discharged when he gets able to travel. The balance of my boys is in very good health except bad colds. I had a sever attack puking & purgin Saturday night, but was able for duty Monday morning. I think it was caused by eating some eggs Friday night. I have had rheumatism ever since I was sick at Camp Coleman & am taking medicine & it has affected my eyes so that now in writing I cannot hardly see, everything looks glimmering. It is caused by taking belladonna, which dilates the pupils of the eyes, though I think it is helping me. Well the Col. has not got back from Richmond yet, but we expect him here tonight. He has succeeded in getting us rifle muskets with bayonets. The Maj. recd a telegraphic dispatch form him yesterday, he was on his way then. We have no idea where we will now go or be ordered too. When the Col. comes I think I will start home in a few days, so if you have not written me you need not write me until you see or hear from me. I must stop as it is nearly time for battalion drill & I have to take charge of my company. Lt. Bird was left in Buncombe & Alx Hoolbrooks is sick here, though will report for duty in the morning. Lieut. Anderson is officer of the guard, so I have no help today. I will give you all the particulars per anum soon. My love to Matt & relations & friends. Howdy Liza, Lize & Barbery. Kiss my babys & think of me. I am looking for Emolous every day. Your ever true loving husband
A.W. Bell
PS I have just come off drill & find all of my boys that I left sick in Buncombe have come, except one a man by the name of Longe from Ten. who took Justices place. He went by home & will be here in a day or too. John Love an Ingraham that was furloughed before Christmas has also come this morning. I give Dock leave to go up to Johnsons Depot this evening & see some of Dillards darkeys that is there at work. He is to be back in the morning. I have bought clover seed. Tell president Baty to have a place to sow them. Ill come or write you in a few days so don’t be uneasy about me, so Ill close.
Ever your affectionate husband
A.W. Bell
Clayton, Ga. March 11th 1862
Dear Mollie
Your note per mail boy was recd on yesterday. I was expecting to visit you this week but I hardly think I can as Alf has not come and I have some patients that I can’t well leave.
As to the Borax, I left one lb. for Pa. It is lying on a shelf just over the large acid bottles marked (?) Borax in prints. I want a book that Hopkins got with my Battery a transition on electricity magnetism. Send it to me by mail boy if it is at your house if not get it from Hopkins and send first chance. If any of the Nantahala folks want to pay me any money you will find their accounts in my little book in your drawer and there is an index in the front of the book. Write me by the (?) if you have heard anything more from Alf. I will try to come down soon, but should I not before Joe leaves, tell him and Westall that they must stay with me the first night and I will go with them a part of their journey if not all the way.
Has Jule Siler got home no news, our company left yesterday, good bye.
Ben
N.B.
The Borax is among the bottles not where it first was.