This must be

1863 or 64

 Jan^y 12 1864

 

            Dear Wife I hasten to answer your welcome letter of the 14^th ult which came to hand last evening & was read with a great deal of pleasure & satisfaction I was sorrow to hear of our willie being sick but if it was the mumps perhaps he could not have them in a better time. I have not much news to write to you at this time I am well & we are still encamped three miles below Monroe on the Ouachita river & I think probably will stay here awhile I dont see any prospect of going in to winter quarters yet it is reported here that Gen Price have gone in to winter quarters near Camden ark it appears that we were sent up here to guard and assist in getting some arms from the other side of the Missippi or rather to be in striking distance provided we should be needed I think they are crossing them over in skiffs which is rather a perillous & tedious undertaking to cross twenty thousand  stand of arms as to news from across the river I have none of a late character in Braggs last fight it appears that neither party have any room to brag one of our men says he saw in a federal paper the other day & it spoke of seven men being appointed from each congress as commissioners to try to make a treaty of peace but I fear that peace is a long ways off yet I have but little hope of peace during Lincoln's administration though it seems that the majority think it will not last much longer but they seem to think we will have to give it up. I have not received any letter or news from Ed milt yet I am in hopes he will be with you when this comes to hand 

 

As to myself coming home I se but little prospect yet there is no prospect of getting furloughs yet I think though when we leave here that if we go into winter quarters that there will be some furloughs granted & you may be sure I will make an effort as I want to come home very bad

 

well about our hogs you wrote that Jess was to have been up to get your hogs I will be very glad if you can get your hogs as it will be a great help to you I will be very thankful to Jess if he will get them for you. well you wrote you had been to a wedding did you eat any cake for me if you did it is all right I think they have a good start in the way of a family & I am in hopes they will have no bad luck in that branch of domestic felicity. you wrote you was sorry you you had no chance to send me some clothing well I am glad you had no chance for I think it very doubtful about me getting any thing you would send & I am not needing any thing but pants & I can buy them here by paying a big price for them I bought a pair of socks & a pair of gloves for 11 dollars here you may have me socks & a pr of pants made against I get home if the Lord in his mercy should grant me that felicity here on earth again which I pray that he may we have had a goodeal of cold bad weather lately but I have not suffered a great deal yet & am in hopes we wont I am glad you are getting along as well as you are I am afraid times are going to be harder in texas than they are now tell Eddy that I am very proud of him in learning so well I think he is doing fine I am sorry that Johny is getting along no faster though he is young yet & I think will learn when he has that attention that is necessary for him to learn 

 

            I would like for you to write to me what the prices of things are now such as wheat corn oats &c Beef pork sugar molasses & I want to know what pins needles fine combs thread Hdk & calicoes are worth & what confederate money is worth in gold also tobacco confederate seems to be going down all the time here I have some which I wish you had to lay out in something & I think you had better try & lay in enough of breadstuff to do you as it will get higher all the time except it is limited by law. also write to me what cotton cards are worth I do not know though what they are worth here nor other things for I have not been at home town yet tobacco sells in camp at 4 dollars a plug it will take over two plugs to weigh a lb. well now I want you to give the Colonel Montague my respects & tell him I would like for him to set down & write me a letter & let me know what he thinks about the blockade being raised now give Mr Carpenter & family my respects and all enquiring friends tell Mr Fletcher that can write nothing about Ed as Walker's Division is down at Fort Derusa below Alexandria Clark Loring is well & hearty I have not seen him to day Ben Scruggs is writing home he gets hardly any letters by mail he thinks it strange as I get them now almost regular James Downard is well he left this morning on a boat to be gone 6 days as a guard we have not heard from william Downard for some time were you ever acquainted with a man by the name of Milton Jacks he used to live about Lancaster I think I have heard you speak of him he is in command of a company in this Regt he is a very fine man I think. well I am on guard to day & must go back to the guard house / So I must bring my letter to a close & you must excuse bad writing & composition as I have a bad pen to write with & I eat to much hog & corn meal dumplings for dinner to compose well & now about those girls tell them I hope to get to see them soon & then we will talk about these things tell ap though I think she is a good judge of beauty when she talks about Willie

 

well now my beloved as we have just passed through another year & when we look back & consider how kind & merciful our benefactor has been to us in sparing us when thousand have fallen to rise no more should we not be thankful to that being who holds the reins of life & death & who has spared us as monuments of his mercy when we consider that we have been exposed to all the dangers incident to camp life that we have in battle been exposed to the missils of death flying all around us that our fellow soldiers fell around us should we not be thankful then let us try & lead a life that will be pleasing in his sight. then let us pray to him that he may still spare us to meet in peace & so hoping that it may be so I will bring my letter to a close by sending you my love & respects yours                                                                                          

Thomas W Johnson

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