Chattanooga Tennessee

Oct. 28 1863

                       

Dear Sister

                 I am once more permited to adress you I resieved two letters from you one yesterday and one today the one that I got yesterday was dated the 9^th of September Oct the one that I resieved today was dated the 18^th it takes letters a long time to git here now I was very happy to hear from you and to hear that you have got well again and git along so well. your letter found me injoying good helth and in good spirits and I hope this may find you all all well and injoying good helth at home We are still at Chattanooga and it is likly that we will stay here for some time yet The helth of the army is good as far as I know We that is two companies of one Regment, Co. F and G was sent across the Tennessee River a week ago last Sunday to cut logs for the pontoon Bridges and for flat boats and we are here yet cutting fine logs and we are giting along well The weather is warm and pleasant but we have a great deal of rain and the roads are very mudy and the Tennessee River is quite high I have not saw Frank since I crossed the river a week ago last Sunday but he was well then and I expect he is yet I got a letter from Johns wife today and they are well John is on the river yet they live St anthony yet I have not heard from home for some time 

 

I told you in my other letter that we expected another battle here soon but we have not had it yet but we are giting every thing redy and you will probly hear from the army of the cumberland again and we will try and give old Bragg enough the next time we try it for I think we are enough for him and all the hosts of Rebeldom combined We had to retreat back to Chattanooga after fighting him two days in the late battle of Chickamauga in Georgia but we have got reinforcements since then and we are about redy to try him again The late Battle of Chickamauga was one of the hardest fought battles of the war and there was heavy loss of life on boath sides The Rebels had at best two men to our one but still their loss was as heavy if not greater than ours we had to fight for Chattanooga and we fought hard for it. it was the great object of the campaign but it was dearly fought and there was hundreds and thousands of true and brave men lost their lives in that great strugel they have fallen to rise no more in the world of sorow there troubels is all over may they rest in peace. They lay in unmarked graves there is not even a stone or a stick to mark their last resting place and their friends friends can never find the spot where lies the forms of the ones they once loved but we will long remember them as we would a brother and we deeply lament the loss of so meny of our noble comrads that we have long learned love and cherish as our brothers in arms and we greatly miss them from around our camp fires at night where we have listend to songs and stories untill a late hour yes we miss them from our number 

 

There is heavy canonading on the west side of Lookout Mountain today it comenced about 9 oclock this morning and has ben kept up prety livly all day our men are trying to drive the Rebs off from that mountain there was some prety hard fighting there yesterday in which the Rebels was driven some distants the loss on our side was light We have got to drive the Rebs from Lookout mountain before we can open the Railroad between here and Bridge Port open We have got to open the Railroad prety soon or we will starve out here for the wagon roads from here to Bridge port is so rough and mudy that it is almost imposible to git provision the road from here to Bridge port is all the way over the mountains and is about 40 miles from Chattanooga but as soon as we git the Railroad open we can git plenty of every thing but not untill then They are fighting prety livly over there now by the sound of the cannon and the musketry the cannon is thundering away on the side of the mountain prety livly this afternoon We may have a prety hard fight of it before we we take the mountain but we have got to have it let it cost what it will. we will probly have posesion of it by tomorow night I may not be in the fight in taking the mountain for we are on the north side of the river cutting logs but if they should want us we can soon git there. You sayed that mother was a gitting quite well again and I realy glad to hear of that I hope she may git along well and injoy her self this winter I should like very much to be there to spend the winter with her for I think I could injoy myself full as well there as here you sayed that William had ben sick with the feaver I am sory to hear of him being so sick but I am in hopes he will get well soon 

 

Mary you wanted to know if I got enough to eat here I am one of those kind that allways try to get along and be content myself the best way that I can I learned to live and not find fault but to tell the truth we have not got enough to eat nor eaven half enough at this time We have ben on half rashons now for some time and some of the time on one third rashons I very often git hungry and think of the old cubbard at home and how well I should like have a good peace of bread and butter after living so long on hard bread and bacon fat still if I can git all the hard bread and bacon that I can eat I am satisfide and will not grumbel but as soon as we get the Railroad through from Nashvill there will be plenty of provisions for all as long as my health is as good as it is at present I can git along very well. you say you are waiting with anxious harts to greet me home from the wars there will be no one more happy than I will be when I am permitted to see you all again Mother Sisters brothers and friends and say there is no place like home if a kind Providence sees fit to spar my life untill the end of another year I will return with a light and glad heart to the home of my childhood and greet you all face to face with joyous harts when war shall have an end and peace once more prevale you say the girls send their best wishes to me I thank them very much for there kind wishes tell them that I hope the day is not far distant when I shall be able to see some of their bright faces I have not saw cousin clinton Sealy since the time that I rote you I must close write soon and often for your letters are allways welcom in the soldiers camp from your most afectionate brother George Rutherford To Mary Rutherford Direct the same as before

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