Camp Near Monticello Ark Sept 21^st 1864

 

            Dear Wife       It is with grattitude that again have the pleasure of addressing you & letting you know that I am still in the enjoyment of tolerable health and hope these few lines may find you & our loved ones with all the friends in the enjoyment of the same we arrived at this place last Sunday after a fatiguing march of 8 days from Monroe Some days marching twenty miles & upwards. this seems to be rather a poor country to keep an army in Monticello is about two miles from our camp here I have not been up to see it they say it is a very pretty place & quite a business place in peaceable times we have a pretty good army in this vicinity now but no prospect of a fight soon that I know of there are some federals at pine Bluff & Little Rock perhaps sixteen or twenty thousand. I think we have perhaps that many infantry & 8 or 10 thousand Cavalry but I do not know that it is the intention to attack them some think we came here to hold them check while price goes to Mo after recruits Price is now in command of the Cavalry his infantry part of it camped some 4 or five miles from here. I have not had a chance to go up to se them yet I expect I might find some of my acquaintances if I could get to go up there Joshua Olds was up there & seen Dr Christie he is Surgeon of the 10^th M^o Regt he had not heard from North Mo for 18 months he said that Hall moved to Lagrange & from there to Monticello but did not know where he was now knowed nothing about any more of our folks nor Ed Milt I have a letter written now to send to Ed Milt which will start out in a day or to. Walkers Division is camped near here I was up there this morning in Fitzugh Regt there will be some start home out of that Regt to morrow that I will send this by they have commenced furloughing in that division again, but have not in this I saw Capt Moseby & Ed Fletcher they were well Capt Moseby said he must go home to se his gal S[?] Dougherty has not got in yet. Slim will be brought back under arrest for staying so long over his time you will have heard that Alanta has fallen before this & it is rumored that Mobile is taken also but I do not credit that the falling of Atlanta will injure us Some [faded, paper fold] hope [faded, paper fold] as Some suppose our troops are in good spirits generally 

 

The health of our army is very good at this time. Gen M^cClelland is the Democratic nominee for president in the North and if elected I think we will have peace as he will run on a peace platform but if Lincoln is elected the war will go on until one side or the other is exhausted which will be years but I have strong hopes of M^cClellands election if they dont run any other candidate against them. well I believe I have no more news of importance to write you I have received no letter from you for some time I started you some letters while at Monroe the last you wrote you was at Mr Powels & had been making molasses I was sorry they turned out no better but they will do you a little good give my respects to Mr Powels & family tell Jess to keep in spirits if he is getting tired riding to come down & I will spell him a while for accommodation I fear owing to dry weather that he will be scarce of grain this year I wish you to write how much you are making in bread stuffs & how you are getting your bread now & whether there is a probability of you suffering for any thing or not I suppose you will have moved before this comes to hand if not & Jess fails to move you will exercise your own judgment about moving as I know not how to advise you tell Matilda to keep in good spirits the war will not last always Give my love to Jess & Matilda & the boys & the same to yourself & Eddy & Johny & Willy & kiss them for me & may the Good Lord of Hosts love protect sustain & comfort you all in your trials & troubles is my prayer for Christ Sake

                                                                       

your Husband ThoWJohnson to M E Johnson

 

Oct 25 1864

Dear friend I received your kind letter this morning and was glad to hear from you and would answer it but have not time as I am starting to the office so I will send you Thomases last letter and you can see where they are and I will write again & will weave your cloth for you if you will bring it down if you want shoes you can get them here in three or four weeks as one of my neighbors will have a lot of calf skins on then I have got him to have me a pair made come and see me give my respects to your father and mother and Het and kiss him for me excuse haste your Friend

Martha E Johnson

 

Mrs. Martha E Johnson                     

Weston Collin County                        

Texas                         

                                                                                    

                                                                                  

From T W Johnson                                                     

of C^o 31^st TDC                                                            

Polignac's Brigade                                                      

                                                                                    

                                                                                    

                                                                                   

 

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