Head Quarters Camp Coleman
Feby 2nd 1862
My Dear Wife
Yours of 30 Jany came to hand a few moments ago found me much better than I have been for some days. I have been quite sick for several days very sore throat hardly able to swallow at all & my neck was sore & stiff all over. I had very high fever last night so I had one of my boys to set by me all night & apply a wet towel to my head. I had a bad headache & was vomiting a good deal. I think that was caused by taking medicine, as I had to take it every two hours so I am much better this morning. I had my neck blistered a few days ago & the blister is about well. I have had my body washed & dressed in clean clothing & I feel like a new man now & think with care that I will be stout in a few days again.
Well I am very sorry that my boys got drunk & acted so badly. They was sent out there by Maj. Coleman on a military order, to arrest those fellows & bring in to camp, not supposing they would get drunk or have any difficulty. He supposed that as soon as they saw the order from him that they would come in without any further trouble. As far as Dee’s drinking is concerned, he never drank a drop in my presence nor did I know that he drank a drop. I am surprised to hear of his acting so. I don’t see what the thunder he means he ought to be hanged. As to the negros stealing meat I am glad it was from McCoy for he will make them suffer for it & maybe they will keep away from town. I want Tom well whipped if he is quilty. I think we had best get shet of him anyhow. I want you to have some good steeples put on your smokehouse door & lock it with a pad lock for the lock that is on the door is not much account & would not do to trust. It appears that I don't write offtimes to you My Mollie, my dear girl. I write you nearly by every mail. I wrote you just as I was starting from Raleigh. I wrote you from Raleigh & got here Thursday night 6 miles below town & the mail started Friday morning so I could not write & get to the office. I wrote you Sunday by Wood. I wrote you by last Fridays mail again & now again. I fear you are hipoed you ought to know me well enough to know that I would write you offtimes. I expect to write you once a week if not offtimes so I hope you will be satisfied with that. If Benton comes out here Ill pay him some money but you need not pay him any for you may need it your self though I think Ill be home in 10 to 12 days though we recd orders from Sectary of War to go to Knoxville, Tenn. but we can not go now there is to many sick in our camps we have 25 in my company nearly all measles though none but what is able to be up. I guess there is a hundred sick in the battalion Maj. has written the sectary of war this morning the condition of our men & the lack of arms these orders come last night. I don’t see how it is we did not know that we was returned over to the confederacy though we recd orders from the Adjt. General to hold our selves in readiness to march at any time so Ill stop on this subject I suppose you have heard the particulars of our defeat in Ky. We have just heard that there was a big battle at Bowling Green, Ky. our forces killed 500 yankees & took 1000 prisoners & routed their whole army
I hope it will turn out to be true though it needs confirmation this is all the news I have as to the war Ill write De a letter this evening & see if I cannot persuade him to quite drinking & behave him self. Ill close Ill be at home as soon as I can my respects to Matt, tell Liza to be a good girl, tell my baby s howdy & hold & kiss them for me & think how I would hug & kiss you if I was there.
Ever you one loving husband
A.W. Bell
Clayton Ga. Feb 3rd 1862
Dear Mollie
I would have been to see you ere this but the rain has prevented. I will send you your calico soon had I best buy a bolt and let you do the selling to the ladies and see that I get cost for it. It is very high from 25 to 30 cts per yard. I want you to send by mail bag ½ dozn boxes of pistol caps (small ones) paper boxes marked B.No. 42 or the G.D to be left Joe or Bill Nevill.
Yours
Benjamin
Camp Coleman the last night we stay here
Feby 5th 1862
My Dear Wife I write you a note to night & may send it by Mr. Cabe & Russel as they are both here on a visit to see their sons and will start back tomorrow. Mr. Wm. Penland was also with us last night but started home this evening. I should have written by him had I known he was going this evening. My nose has commencing bleeding very profusely & I am very glad of it for I have been having the headache for the last month or too & I think this will relieve me for good. I am writing on & letting it bleed on my handkerchief. Well from the heading of my letter you would suppose that we are moving, so we are, 3 companys has moved mine included, though I stayed to see that all was taken & it was too late for me to go, so I have 2 of my boys & Dock with me. We are moving to Reems Creek Campground some 3 miles north east of this. I don’t know how long they will stay for we are under marching orders to Knoxville, Ten but we cannot go yet until our boys get through with the measles & we get arms those guns that was repaired for us here wont do. They are not half done, though they have sent us from Raleigh 70 new lamb Rifles & 25 thousand cartridges & knapsacks & haversacks for our Battalion so we will be off soon for the seat of war. We are anxious to leave the Buncombe war though we had rather went to the coast of N C. Its stopped raining & looks like we will have some nice weather now well I made a bad heading of my letter you will excuse me for doing so for I did not notice it until I had written ½ page so I thought I would let it go. I have just recd a letter from Saml Bell dated 25 Jan. The health of our company at Wolf Run is good Samey & Fulcher also is trying to get transfers to my company. Samey thinks it doubtful about succeeding. He says they are trying to git the boys to enlist for 2 years & he thinks the most of the boy will enlist again. I also see a letter from there dated 26 Jany saying the boys has got in to a bad scrape he did not say who or what they had done. I have recd several letters from the boys lately. Joe will not transfer though, when his time is out he expects to try it again. I shall not advise them anyway but if they want to join my company Ill do all I can to get their transfers. I suppose that you wish to know how my health is. Well it sill in proving though I have very sore lips my head & neck is about well & my throat is nearly well so I think by next week Ill be able for duty though I have not eat a bite of meat for better than a week & not much of anything else but my stomach is pretty good now. Ill stop & write to Samey. I think Ill be at home before long. I think Ill start last of next week, so kiss my babys, my respects to Matt, howdy Liza & think what I would like to do for you now if I was there, though I believe you don’t enjoy hugin & kissing much, though you would have to take if I was there. Ever your husband, Pleasant dreams tonight, good bye my wife for a Sunday. A.W. Bell
Head Quarters Colemans Battalion
Camp Martin Feby 7th 1862
My Dear Wife
I write you a few lines by Mr. Sherren as he will start either in the morning or Sunday morning. I thought probably you would like a line from me though I sent a letter to Asheville today directed to Mrs. Mary E Bell but as the mail is so irregular I thought I would write you a few lines again. We have got moved over to the campground & are very comfortably situated now but I know not how long we will remain here. It has been raining here several days. I am delighted with this move. We have no further orders though I have written you. The commander at Knoxville has written in answer to Maj. Coleman that he did not expect us now, but for us to be in readiness that when he needed us he would order us. I hope the order will be counter manded & we will be sent to the coast. I would rather go to the coast for there I could get oysters & fish to eat & you know I am fond of that sort of living. I guess we will go to Ten. I recd a letter from Samey & one from Morrow & Ballew several of the boys are trying to get transfers to my company Samey is also trying. I have just written Joe about getting a transfer to my company. The Major says if Joe will come he will give him Drum major place & suppose that the company is all enlisting & getting transfers. I would rather the boys would come to my company than enlist for the war. I don’t think the war will last always & it may be a good investment but I don’t like the idea of enlisting. I suppose Mike stayed right in Asheville last night. He had not time to come down to see us. I should have liked very much to have saw him, but home attractions as the needle always works to the center of gravity (Matt ) so does Mike work to the magnet, so I excuse Mike for not coming by to see us, of coarse Matt will excuse us for not thinking hard of Mike. I think I shall come home the last of the next week & of coarse I am as anxious to see you as some body else is to see some body else. I have no war news to write you at present so I close. I have not recd any letter from you for some days. I am beginning to get anxious to hear from my better half. I should like very much to be with you tonight. I think I would feel all over in spot if I could only be with you & give you one squeeze. Give my respects to Matt. Tell Liza to watch our smokehouse. kiss my babys for me & tell them to take good care of Jeff Davis. Good night pleasant dreams.
Ever you loving husband
AW Bell
Head Quarters Colemans Battalion
Feby 8th 1862
My Dear Wife
I write you a few lines, as Mr. Shener did not get off this morning. I feel that I wished to write you a few lines not that I have any thing to write you. Only Rev. Mr. Wooph who lives in the parsonage close by & comes to see us every day since we have been here he informs me that that Dr Nelson says news has reached Asheville that Genl. Price of Missouri has had a big fight & whipped the yanks. There was nine hundred yanks left dead on the field. Our forces gained a decisive victory. The yanks took the Bull Run trot & the field was ours. Wooph says Dr. Nelson thinks this news reliable. I hope it may be true. I have no other news to write. I have written several letters to Manassas. There is several of the boys that wishes to join my company. I got Maj. Coleman to write Col. Lee asking him to transfer any of the boys that wishes to join us as their time is so near out. We think Lee ought to be willing. Hugh Bearden came here yesterday to get an office in our Battalion & Maj. had rather promised Capt. Gaines & Billie Bearden Sargent majors places, but as soon as I found out that he had taken a stand against my boys & their orders in arresting those torys there, I went to Maj. Coleman & told him that I badly protested against any such an appointment, stated the facts to him, the Maj. readily replied that no such a D- - d men as that could hold an office in his Battalion. So Hugh was here yesterday he looked like he has stolen something & plead ignorance & came & tried to clear it up with me but I told him what I thought & what I should have done if I had been there in Birds place. We all wish that Bird had proceeded to have obeyed his orders & those torys had resisted. We would have been ordered there forth with. I hope & trust that we may be ordered there yet. There is application made by proper authority to let us go back & chastise those traitors. My Comp & the Battalion generally is perfectly enraged at such an insult. Smith & I agreed in Raleigh to get Hugh in my company as drill master. I am entitled to one & I thought that probably Hugh could though I knew he did not know much, but I told him in plain english that if Smith succeeded in getting him appointed that he could not drill not one army man & that I was opposed to him out & out so he lift with his collars at half mass & the union down. Poor deluded puke probably he will find it wont do to follow Russ Siler. I defeated Russ for same office about 3 weeks ago & I glory in defeating just such dogs & traitors. I am glad that George Moore has recd the appointment of commissary for our Battalion, everybody is satisfied. Bills company has recd more offices than all the rest together. I have Adjt Commissary & hospital Stewart for my company & if Joe will come I will git him drum majors place & Mark Kelly may git Hugh Beardens place. I shall do all I can for any of my boys for the promotion. Our Adjt. Capt. Bryan & Quarter Master has gone to Raleigh & they will get our money I think, also the Quartermaster I think will git our money to pay off our boys. This is the reason that I shall wait until the last of next week before I try to go home. I wrote you last night & put it in Pa’s, but as I am writing you again I shall put both in one envelope to you. I commenced on a half sheet but have filled that & am writing so please excuse those half sheets & I will doe as much for you when I come home. I will sleep with you if you require me to do so, which I hope will be my privilege very soon to have that pleasure, a pleasure I know no man enjoys more than my self, but enough of this for it makes me home sick, when I think of the pleasures & comforts at home & then think of the cause of all this. I think Lincoln ought to be burnt. I hope the negroes have not commenced steeling your bacon yet. You ought to have a (?) & steeples & lock it with the best padlocks that we have. Widows like your self must take advice from your expected husband. Are you proud of your husband? It does me good to think of my sweet wife & babys at home, knowing that my love is treasured in a loving wifes heart. Ill quit this for fear you think I am childish & am giving away too much to love besides you may take this as a love letter & think I am too weak minded for a captain to lead men to battle, there fore I desist expressing my feelings further until I am with you. Col. Owen & Wood left for home a day or too ago. I guess you will see them before this reaches you. I don’t think of anything else to write and you will think I am crazy for writing you so much foolishness but you said that Mary Janes husband wrote her such long loving letters so I hope you will read this uninteresting epistle with out tiring or wearing your self.
Ill close, my respects to all my friends that enquires about me. Tell Matt I reckon she feels better since some soldiers have returned home. I hope she will enjoy herself & will be ready to invite me to a wedding about Thursday week. How does that suit? I think it would suit very well. The two grass widows could console each other in their lonines.
Kiss my babys & dream of me that your affections are worthy bestowed. I remain ever your devoted husband
A.W. bell
I have just cut this piece off. I had forgot that I had written on the other side. I thought I would not send so much extra paper, as my letter was so full. Don’t think I am drunk for I have not saw any whiskey for several days. We are quite sober here. You may say I am crazy but don’t think I am drunk. Ever yours, true to my trust.
A.W. Bell
Franklin Feb. 9th 1862
My Dear Husband
I write you today, as I understand that Wallie Bearden is going to start back in the morning and you will perhaps get it sooner than if I were to write by mail. I know you was surprised at not getting a letter from me last week. I ask your pardon for not writing. It was a providential hindrance for I went up to Cousin Mary Roanes visiting Wednesday and it rained and they did not send for me until Friday evening, so I could not write by Fridays mail and I was also so in hopes that you would come home. I received your letter written the 2nd last night. I am so sorry tohear that you are still sick. I am afraid that you are worse off than you write to me. I want you always to write me the truth, let it be ever so bad. It seems to me that your letters are a long time coming after they are written. You said in your last that you thought you would be at home in 10 or 12 days. It is eight days today since it was written and I shall begin in a day or two to look until bedtime for you until I see you come. You must come as soon as you get able for indeed I am obliged to see you. I can’t put it off much longer. If you do not come soon I shall be obliged to come to see you. Emilus arrived here last night. I guess you have heard of him passing through Asheville. He wanted to go to see you but could not. He said he heard that you were moving to the campground the day he was in Asheville. He is on furlough. He looks just like he used to but has a very bad cough. He does not think his flesh is good he only weighs 123 pounds. Some of his friends wanted him to have a discharge but he would not and Captain Angel would have him to have a furlough. He says the Capt. is as good as he can be now. He says he could not cough but what the Capt. would come to him. He got so tired of him. He told some of the boys that he believed if he did not let him alone that he would have to insult him. Emilus says that he feels like he is willing to forgive him and let him live in peace the rest of his days. I suppose you have heard that Leander Ledford is dead. He had measles and relapsed. His father heard that they were bringing him home and they were looking for him every day until he got a letter yesterday evening that they had buried him. He is going to get Russ Siler to go after him and speaks of going himself. They all took it very hard. Mr. Ledford don’t look like the same man. I will stop and go down and see the Mrs. Reid as she is by herself. It is now eight O’clock at night. I have been to church tonight. We had a very good sermon from a preacher from Georgia who is here buying shoe thread. He will preach here tomorrow night if the weather is personable. I received a note from Ben the other day. He said he would have been down here before this if the weather had not been so bad. He said nothing about Barton. I guess he has gone back. Calvin McLoud wants me to change about 70 dollars of my money with him for Murphy money. I put him off telling him that I was looking you home and he could see you about it. If you do not come before he starts must I change with him?
I told Dee about that pistol. He went to Nortons yesterday and got the pistol but he says he had to give 30 dollars for it and he would not sell but one. Dee has the pistol yet, I do not know whether you will be willing to give that much for it or not. You and him can arrange that when you come home. Ma was at Aunt Roanes the other day. She says Aunt wants Will to come home with you, as she wants to give him some more clothing. I will try and get Willie Woodfin to go to your camps, as that would be a good chance for you to come home with him if you were well enough and would come. Fannie told me tonight to tell you to come home. She has been complaining a day or two with her belly. I think it is worms. I will try the vermifuge in the morning and see if that will do her any good. Jule has girls out going to see the boys until Emilus and Weot goes back. They will start the first of March. I want you to hurry home while they are here. I heard Jule read a letter from Jesse Siler last night. David was sent to Warrenton sick and Jess to wait on him. They thought he had pneumonia but thought with good treatment he would not have a hard spell. Thad had written to Jess and Jimmie and offered them 2nd and 3rd Lieutenants places as the Col. had given him permission to select them from his own county. Jess thought he would accept but did not know what Jimmie would do. Bill Roane will be promoted to 1st Lieutenant. Matt Russel is at home discharged. I have not seen him yet and Conner is on furlough. Sam sent his Pa that dark lantern by Conner. I reckon the Andersons have heard of the death of their father before this. He was buried Friday. Jim Winstead has stole Mr. Jacobs oldest daughter and married her. They are a quite youthful couple she is nineteen and he is eighteen.
I will close for this time. Do not think that you can write to me too often. I would be willing to get a letter every day if it could be so. I will ask you again to please come home if you can only stay all night. Dee wanted me to go to see you this week and if I knew that you could not come home before you leave there I would go. I hope you will not have to leave there for sometime yet. I will try and live in hope if I have to die in despair. I reckon I must confess that I am a little hippoed but I cannot help it and I do not know who could. Good night may you have a good nights rest and pleasant dreams.
Ever your faithful Mary
I hope before this reaches you that you will be well and entirely free from pain. Matt sends her love. Sallie says she dreams about her Pa every night. I am trying to learn Fannie her letters. She is rather a hard case.
Feb 10th 1862
My Dear Husband
As I did not get to send my letter this morning for Wallie Bearden did not start and is not going until Wednesday. I have concluded to write you a little more as I am due your two letters and one of your volunteers is at your Pa’s tonight and is going on in the morning. I have concluded to send my letter by him, thinking you will get it sooner than by mail. His name is Jeff Martin one of your backsliders.
I think if you get this in time and are able, you ought to come home with Willie Woodfin, if he goes. I cannot find out whether he is still going or not, that was the first arrangement but your Pa told me tonight that Dr. Lyle was going to start Wednesday with a little wagon after Leander Ledford and I think it quite likely that he will go with him. I will try and see Willie if he goes and get him to go to see you if I can, but if you can come you can be at Asheville and see him yourself. Fannie is still complaining I have give her dead shot and it is operating some but has brought no worms yet. I am in hopes though it will do her some good. From what I heard today, I do not think Tom McDowel has enlisted. I heard that Uncle Silas had sent him off south, until he found out what he had to do. Mary says she would rather see him die than see him go in your Company. I think they are raking up the Rivers scrape against you. I could not find out whether they thought you did wrong. If I was you, I would be by Tom like Georgia Mc was by Mashburn. She told him that he was a disgrace to the southern confederacy and Jeff Davis would blush to own him. If I were you, I would blush to have such a man as Tom in my company. If you were to ever get in a close place, he would be certain to stump his toe and fall down and the yankees would get him and great would be the loss, but I do not think they would keep him long. I saw Math Russel today he looked better than I ever saw him. Mr. Crisp is playing the fife and Mr. Baldwin is beating the drum now. I do love to hear it. I can just imagine that it is you beating the drum. They perform very well. They give us some music nearly every night about nine o’clock. I have offered to pay them by the week. It revives me up and makes me think of a dear absent one, but oh how much better I would feel if that dear one was here never to leave again. Poor little Sallie sit like she was in deep study a long while today and then drew a long breath and said Ma I do wish my Pa would come home. Poor thing it made me feel so bad. We were not saying anything about you, so you see your baby thinks of you in your absence. I wish I could see you in your camp to night and see what you are doing, not that I think you would be doing anything wrong, but it would be such a pleasure to me to see you and know what you are doing and how you are getting along. I hope it will not be many nights before I will have the pleasure of seeing you get in our bed by the fire and then I would soon follow. Please do come just as soon as you can for I tell you if I do not get to see you soon I will take the blues and almost die. I am kept alive now by the hope of seeing you soon.
Your devoted wife, Mary