Monroe Jan^y 3^d 1864

 

                        Dear Wife it is with pleasure that I embrace this opportunity of writing to you in answer to your kind letter of Dec^r 1^st which came to hand yesterday & found me in the enjoyment of very good health & spirits your letter gave me a great deal of pleasure & satisfaction I was very glad to hear of you doing as well as you are & I feel very grateful to your kind neighbors & hope they will never loose any thing by acts of kindness towards you, for I know you appreciate an act of kindness as much as any one & it is right we should. we are now encamped about three miles from Monroe down the river that is the Wachita river. it is a very pretty stream big enough for boats to run a good ways above here the most of the year Monroe is a considerable city but I can tell you but little about it as I passed through it without stopping it had a considerable trade before the war commenced there was a railroad running from it to Vicksburg but it is torn up now it was designed to run on to Shreveport & was completed the most of the way there

 

I have no war news to write to you more than I understand that Lincoln says in his proclamation that he intends to close the war against the first of march So if he does I recon I will get to come home but old Jeff dont / talk like submitting & says he has a better army & better prepare to carry on the war than ever. So I am inclined to think there are still two parties & will be doubtful whether it will close then or not I wish it would but I have not much hopes of its closing soon I perceive that a good many are getting disheartened & think it a bad chance & it does look like that that they are getting a strong foothold on our ground & hold it. I understand they have a heavy force in Texas now. I have not heard of any late fighting across the river I dont know exactly where Price is now he is above here though some place in South Arkansas I have not heard from Ed Milt since you wrote about him I started him a letter yesterday by a man that was going up in that country I am in hopes though that this letter may find him with you as to me it does look like I am not going to get to come home soon as there is but very little furloughing done now but you may be assured that it is not because I dont want to come for my greatest desire is to be at home with you Oh what pleasure it would give me to be with you all again & that pleasure would be increased by knowing that I could get to stay there but alas how transitory are the pleasures of this life which should teach us to not to engage our minds to much on the pleasures of this life but to engage our minds more with things that do not end with this life but will concern us through / the rounds of eternity Oh my Dear wife your letters lead me to believe that you are not without a hope & I hope you may live as you would wish to die a Christian we all need your prayers very much out here I try to do right but it is very hard for a man to do right out here So I want your prayers your good wishes I have & our dear children try & impress their minds with the first truths of religion that is that there is a God that he is the maker & ruler of all things & that to enjoy him we must be obedient to him. that there is a future state of existence & rewards & punishments & that our life here determines our happiness or misery hereafter impress these things upon their minds from childhood up & when they are old they will not depart from them & they will bless you for it we have had some very cold weather in the last few days & it is raining to day & I expect we will have bad weather for a while. I do not want you to give yourself uneasiness about my suffering as a necessary consequence we must suffer more or less in bad weather but I am very well fixed for cold weather better than a great many as we have a good tent & a great many have not as to clothing I can make out very well now. I drew a good pair of shoes the other day I bought a pair of socks yesterday for six dollars & I have a very good pr of pants & other clothing plenty So you se I am not suffering for clothes evry thing in the clothe line is very / here calico 10 dollars a yd common cloth coat from 1 to two hundred dollars Coffee 15 dollars a lb Sugar 1 dollar Molasses 3 dollars a gallon Bacon 1 dollar lb &c. Boots from 100 to 150 dollars a pair I have not been up in town since I have been here from what I can hear there is but little to sell there you would like to hear from my transfer well I never have received any thing from Diamond yet & I expect it is all the same as if I had as ben got papers from diamond & he could not get a transfer or at least has not though if I had of got the papers I should have tried for one I had rather be there on account of being at home sometimes I want you to give my respects & love to Jess & family I am sorry that you are seperated so far from them as Jess has been very kind to you I would like very much to se them give my respects to all enquiring friends Now my dear from the way you write I think you confine yourself at home to closely I want you to enjoy yourself as much as you can & if you have got good neighbors act towards them as such. visit enough to make yourself sociable I know you have a great deal of work to do but I do not want you to work your self to death while I am gone as I still admire grace & beauty yet & hope you will not disregard these qualities now if I have written any thing wrong I know you will forgive me. So tell the children that I think a great deal about & want them to be good boys hug & kiss them for me & remember yourself So accept my love & may God bless & guide you through life is the prayer of your affectionate husband

T. W. Johnson

 

M. E. Johnson                                                                                                 

 

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This Regt. goes out on picket in the morning at 7½ Oclock

 

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I will Number my letters so you may know what ones you get

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