Savannah, Georgia

December 31, 1864

Dear Father…Commander is in the best of health and has been during the whole campaign, though rheumatism that troubled him before we left Atlanta has almost entirely disappeared. During our march from Kingston to this place the work we had to do was only play for him and the perfect faith which the army had in him; their perfect confidence in the army left nothing to fear or to be anxious for. The army said if there is anything in Georgia that we can’t whip and the general thought that if all his plans and estimates were wrong, that his army could whip any force that could oppose it. His real work commenced when we struck the sea coast…

The Commander intends to send me to Washington with his report of the Campaign. He is only waiting for the reports of the Corps Commanders to finish his own when I will start in a dispatch boat. It may be that General Grant may want the Commander to take the field earlier than he now expects in which case he will not send me north. I am very anxious to see you and to visit Washington and will do all I can to get off at an early date…