May 6^th 1864

 

            Dear Wife having an opportunity of sending you a few lines I will write to let you know how I am getting along & what a doing &c. I have not been well for a week or two nothing more than chills & fever it was very ligt to day & I think I would have missed entirely if we had not travelled we have been travelling for several days as to the news I have a fine budget to send the Federal army that we fought at pleasent Hill is the most of it at Alexandria yet & there supplies are entirely cut off our men took & had blown up some 3 or 4 boats above Alexandria last week & day before yesterday they took two transports & yesterday they took one transport & two gunboats. the Federals are trying to get reinforcements to Alexandria we are some 30 mile below Alexandria now where we are going I cannot know there is one Division of our infantry here between we must [paper hole] forces on the other side of the river we have a heavy force of cavalry down here also I learn from a federal letter that was captured that they at Alexandria had burned up there oats & hay & that they had a thousand wagons he did not expect they would get away with any of them well I heard yesterday that General Lee had given General Mead an other drubbing & taken 10.000 prisoners I see a fine lot of prisoners going up yesterday & to day I hear also that General Price has Steel's army surrounded our armies are successful evry place I can here from their our prospects seem to be brightening if it will only be a good crop year a great deal of this country this year will not be cultivated it is very dry here 

 

I will start this in the morning by B H Scruggs his furlough came in this evning I know you will wonder why I couldnt have got one as well as him well there has been orders against furloughing for a long time & are yet but Colonel Stone has been recently promoted to Colonel & is now commanding this Brigade & it was through his influence that Ben got his furlough God only knows when I will get to come home he knows I want to come bad enough for I think more & more about you all the time I think if we can get these feds out of here then will be a chance O home sweet home that is my desire is for this war to cease & to be on a little home again with my dear ones around me my dear wife you will have to do the best you can I suppose you have some money yet as there is [paper hole] law for bonding confederate money if you have any of consequence you had better se to it for dollar bills will remain good it must be done against the first of July of this you can learn more there I am very glad you sent me those socks though I have not got them yet James left them at [paper hole] as he came down with the rest of baggage we have to carry evy thing we have here bedding an all I am very well off for other clothing they are getting very tight on men that stay over there time on furlough if they cannot render a good excuse they put under guard & tried by a court martial well as told you in the outset that that I had a chill to day though it was light & marching & riding & what quinine I have taken renders me out of fix for writing this evening So hoping you will excuse bad writing & composition I will ad no more give my love & respects to Jess & family & yourself & children kiss them for me I hope this may find you all well & in good spirits yours in love   Thomas W. Johnson

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