In Camp January 30 1863

One mile from Forsythe

 

Devoted Wife

                        I have been greeted again with your precious missives of date 14^th & 19 to 23 they all came the same day as also Amoses I had got one before from you which I suppose is all you have written yet to that date I will answer yours first & may answer A's as I may wait until we move as we shall do soon from this place for we have eaten up all there is in this country & we are strictly speaking a roving band of marauders as we live off of the enemy in full as we can of cours we have to have some things such as coffee sugar some meat but the boys get nearly enough hogs to do them they kill some deer I think 3 since in this camp / which sets the boys crazy one or 2 fine turkeys (wild) have been brought in they are plenty here & game of other kind & well they may be as the country is well adapted to them very rough & uninhabitable almost only by hunters & they are all gone to the South or in prison; Ask a woman where is your husband She will say donno hant see him for 6 months or heard of him donno if he is in the brush or in the army or gone to Springfield They lie with out compunction Yet I cannot help pitying some of them when I see their last hog or chicken taken even their molasses or any thing els eatable Our teams & cavalry take all the corn & oats in the country I think it the fastest way we can reduce them to terms for surely starvation will have a salutory effect on some but little / children suffer with their sinful parents near all are barefoot & poorly clad We were ordered to move this morning at 7 Oc to parts unknown to most of us but the order was countermanded & we are still here on one of the finest days you ever saw at this time of year perfectly balmy but a little frosty of mornings

 

You seem a little alarmed for fear of an out break at home you need not fear that for all of those left at home of that class are cowards & dare not commit such an act there would be nothing but death that would satisfy and many that is now there had better make their peace before some of those here git home as they undoubtedly will I am sorry that Humpfrey still persist in his claim against me as it is utterly fals I would urge Amos to see about it & settle it some way but they cannot make me pay as / Dr Crothers knows I paid it As to Harwoods claim I paid that before I came away I will enclose a note in this to them & make them sensible of the fact I think it down right swindleing such acts as that I paid them & they offered me grover tickets which I refused but afterward took as I was paying some other bills that day It was the day I settled up all my bills you will take the note I send them to them & I think they will refund If not I hope you will never buy of them again & of no one only by paying all down for there is 2 cases of second demand on account of not paying down for a thing but I know that was paid but I did not pay Dr [?] I hope you will pay him if you have not

 

I am sorry Christina has done so but she is gone & I suppose she will not soon return unless Paul goes after her so you had best not charge her to heavy as she will only deny it to the last as true as it may be

 

You do not say how you get along with your sister & her children I had my fears that it would not be verry pleasant to you I hope you will arrange it so as not to make it to burthensome on you or Frank as it will have an inclination to sour you both with company It must be verry confineing on you the roads being so bad & so disagreeable to get about You will not be mad at me when I tell you I could not help smiling at your face when you say you were not hurt only muddy for I think I can see your thin lips curl with a touch of scorn yet I sympathise with you in your misfortune & hope hooks may never be the cause of your falling again you do not say if you got those sows from Bosworths yet or those from Sutton do not keep them in the barn but let them run & get their living of what is droped from the cows &c how does the cows do the milked & fat cow fred will have charly haul corn when the roads will do the horses he uses seems to be well shod I hope A. will rent the balance of the place if that man does not hang that rented of me let some one have it at some rates 

 

I will write some to you on this & some to Harwoods as I have blotted it I will write to Amos & Charley in a few days or when we stop again if we move soon we will likely go to a place called Veracruz 30 or 40 miles east of here where forage is more plenty thus you see we only move far enough at one time to clean the country as fast as we go of all grain & feed for we haul feed 15 miles & the boys go with the waggons & bring in all the chickens & hogs they find so the country is nearly cleaned out there are few Union near here for the Rebs have either kill or run them of many are killed I hope this war will soon / close as it has a great tendency to harden men to commit any act without any fear Some will not steal or forage as they call it I think Irvin does not do as much as he did before I left no saint though he is busy as Corporal of Provost guard but J O Barnard goes in heavy on all occasions

 

The boys are generally well I & S verry well I have some appearance of rheumatism one of my feet swell at times but I will not complain here nor need I as I am in excellent health & very fleshy I took a bath yesterday I was almost surprised I was so full of flesh on my thighs & arms to what I was at home & evry thing indicates health but if any thing should befall me to injure my health I will try to resign though to many officers are now trying to resign & leave the army after promising to stay with them during life or the war the men complain verry much about it one started home yesterday. he got his resignation papers & left immediately & said the war might go to Hell for him now so it is with many Officers & privates if they could get off & if we do not get paid off next pay day many will leave the army & desert & I should not wonder if this Regiment all done so or a majority it is to bad for them to be treated so now 5 months pay back from their families many are out of money both men & officers & government will not trust them for any thing they get do not say any thing about this at home as there would be misconstructions put on it there fore it had best not go out to all or where all would get it

 

I tryed talking to Irvin about the way Martha talked and acted but I found he would believe nothing only what she wrote so I droped it he talks hard of A & W by what she says & will ask Francis to do for her & I hope he can find time to do what she needs I can not convince him that A has been kind to her but let it go It is all her fault do what you can for her in visiting her & Anna I read all of Sam'l letters & let both of them read my letters from A & part of yours as they are good & interesting to me & true but I does not offer his to be read so you see complaints are all kept dark whether true or not but do not let any of these things lessen your respect for them Anna seems very content I think her a noble woman with all her faults visit them /

 

[verso upside down]

 

as often as you can as you have 3 horses one for the buggy & 2 for the waggon If we get our pay I will try to get one of them detailed to take money home though I may not succeed. do not say so to them as they will be disappointed if they do not get to come I cannot write much more as I have exhausted my stock but I convers with you & you may think I am more conversant here than at home I hope I am Moses is quite stout & look harty the sick boys are improveing John R Wilkins & F Johnson are both doing well Linsay that come with me is doing well W. Henry is not doing well I learn he is at Springfield yet I believe I will stop or I will not get done So good by my own

 

Beloved Sarah            

O Barnard

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