Near Crab Orchard Sept 6^th 1863

 

Dear Father

I have received your letter of the 29^th stating that you had received my check. I hope you will feel free to use what money I send home if you need it for I am young yet you know and if I get through the war safe I can take care of my self if I have my health. I feel as though I ought to send more but I want some to spend and things do not sell here as reasonable here as they do at home.

 

We are at the same ground we occupied when I last wrote. The talk now is that we are going to move day after tomorrow on towards Knoxville. Our camp is about half a mile / from the town of Crab Orchard. It is situated at the fork of two roads one of which leads to Somerset and the other to Cumberland Gap. I do not know which one we shall take. It is 96 miles to Cumberland Gap. But for all the talk we may not move. All the sick that we left back between here and Nicholasville were brought up this afternoon and I should not think they would do that if we were going to move. Charles Priest has come up and is better. Nahum Farmer has also come back and is well. George Wooster was left at Nicholasville his furlough was received by the Captain and he sent it down to him and we suppose he has gone home. Ephraim Houghton was left with him to take care of him but he has not come up yet. The rest of us Harvard boys are well.

 

Crab Orchard was before the war / broke out something of a summer resort. There is a white sulphur spring here and the owner of it built quite a large hotel on the premises. One of the farmers near here owns a race course (Kentucky is a famous racing place you know. When the rebels were in here the people drove their horses into the woods to hide them and the rebs could not spend time to hunt them up. One woman who lives near says they offered her money gold and Greenback if she would tell them where they could find some good horses. They came to her house to get victuals and would then offer her their bills to pay for them and want she should give the odd change in Greenbacks.

 

You speak of the sufferings of the East Tennesseans. I have seen a good many of them here in Kentucky and find them thoroughly / loyal. They say that Barnard will see them coming down out of the mountains when he gets there and that they will join his camp. There are many of them to work for the government as teamsters and &c. But it is getting to be most roll call time and I must close with much love to you and mother.

 

From your son

E. W. Stacy.

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