Camp on Sicily Island                       

August 24^th 1864

 

            Dearly beloved Wife

                                                I avail myself of this opportunity of again addressing you to inform you that I am in the enjoyment of very good health & spirits at this time & hope these few lines may find you all enjoying the same blessing I have not received any news from you since I wrote my last letter of the 18^th No 23 if I nubered it all in that I wrote to you that I expected we would go across the Mississippi we have not crossed yet & I think now that it is very uncertain about us crossing at all our delay has been on account of the gun boats of the enemy which are becoming very vigilant on the river I heard yesterday that there were seven lying at water proof 25 miles above Natchez I think it would be all most impossible to cross in the face of gunboats & they are too vigilant for us to surprise them when I wrote before we had orders to march but those orders were suspended for the present the night after those first orders were issued there were over one hundred men deserted from this Brigade & a good many from Walkers Brig Division I think if they aim to cross there will be a good many more go they have caught some of them & will be likely to get the most of them before they get home & it will be likely to go very hard with them I would not be surprised if some of them were shot it has injured our army here very much. it is very shameful for men after having served so long & having so bright a prospect for accomplishing the object set out for to shamefully desert at their countrys standard if it goes on it may possibly be the cause of the war lasting much longer by giving the enemy encouragement I hate the idea of crossing the river very much but I will not desert my country at this stage of the game although I think they are treating a good many of us badly in not letting us go home on furlough I have no idea when we will they will commence furloughing again if they give out trying to cross the river I think they will I havent any war news of interest more than you have I supose we hear the canon on the gun boats evry now & then I suppose they are shelling our pickets I have not heard any thing more from Ed Milt since I got his letter I would not be surprised if he was in Missouri

 

we have not moved camp since I wrote to you last & it is very probable we will stay here for some time 

 

            We have preaching again evry night Several mourners seeking their souls salvation last night the rev Mr Thompson preached & took for his text the history of the rich man & Lazarus commencing 19 verse of the 16 chap of St Luke he contrasted the difference between the death of a sinner & a righteous man & the destination of the christian & the wicked his remarks were to the point his description of the death of the righteous & their transportation in to paridise was beautiful & affecting.

 

August 25^th     Well my dear wife as I expect the man that will carry this will start out to morrow I will try & finish it now we had inspection this morning that is our guns catridge boxes & clothing was examined this morning to see what for order they were in & our company books. I have to act as 1^st Sergt of the company about half of the time the 1^st Sergt being sick part of his time I believe I wrote to you that we had elected some new Officers a first & Second Lieut Scruggs was beaten by 2 votes for 1^st Lieutenant.

 

I heard to day that Gen Price had whipped Gen Steel again nothing certain about it I recon our forces are still successful at Richmond Atlanta & Mobile yet & I am in hopes they will remain so we have had but little news in camp lately there is a talk of us moving camp to morrow some 4 or 5 miles to get a better location we are getting plenty to eat now such as it is meal & very good beef & some pumkins for the last few days I am in hopes you will get a long well enough while I am gone you will have to manage the best you can & we will all try & get through alive although we will be like thousands of others have nothing to start on when the war ends but our own energy & I am afraid that I will not be much by the time the war ends although I have enjoyed very good health yet I do not feel like I did before the war commenced yet considering the many thousands that will started out with much fairer prospects to get through than myself we ought to be thankful if we get through alive. tell Eddy & Johny & Willy that I want them to be good boys while I am gone & that I want to se them very bad Oh how I would like to be at home with you awhile now give Jess & Matilda my love & respects & tell them to keep in good spirits. Give my respects to Mr Powel & Wife & Ellen & Betty if they will allow me to be so familiar with them as to call them by those endearing names especially Betty if you see any of my friends tell them I am all right on the question yet & I hope to be able to stick it out to the last So except my love & prayers from your affectionate Husband

                                                                                                           

Tho. W. Johnson to M. E. Johnson

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