M^cMinnsville Decem 8^th 1863

 

John T. Hayes

 

Beloved Companion

I write you a few lines to inform you that I am well at this time & I hope this will find you well I received your letter baring date 25^th/63 I was glad to hear from you that you was all well & swete Edy that he was well I would like to see you and him the best kind and all the rest of the friends some of them died or they would write to me I have nothing to write to you but what you will have heard before this reaches you the news that is war news is good from the Armeys of the Potomac & the Armey of the Cumberland if it all bee true I gues it is so the most of it at least as I have said to you that we have no chance of hearing any thing untill it is old news you can hear any thing quicker than we can and so I have nothing to write concerning the Armey that will bee news and as for this place thir is nothing new we are still at work on the forts hear we have nine forts to build hear some of them is nearley don the dirt part of them that is the imbankment or brest work and the men is at work on the rest of them 

 

In your letter you said that you heard that we had bin fighting and had to retreat 50 miles I dont know how you heard it but who ever writen it home told that that was not so for we have bin in no fight yet nor I dont believe that thir is much danger hear unless the Rebels makes a raid through hear you said that you was uneasy about me Now I dont want you to make your self uneasy a bout me at all and I will take as good care of myself as I can I dont think you ought to make your self uneasy it is not your fault that I am hear and so I dont believe you ought to care for me I am glad [paper torn] you trust in God that we may meat on earth that we may meat on earth a gain if not in Heaven I hope I want to meat you thir in that land of rest but I hope we will meat hear on earth a gain I trust that we will live to see each other I think I will live to come home a gain if not I dont want you to mourn my lose and prepare to meat me in Heaven whare we will meat to part no more I will not finish now and when I have a chance to send it I will finish 

 

Friday Decem 11^th 1863 At Camp all rite and nothin new onley they have taken Rebel Wheeler & staf out a bout Noxville I saw som men rite from thir they say that Burnsids has Longstreet betwen him & the Mountain Sherman on the other side & the Tenn River on the other side and that thir is no chance for him to escape his pondtoon bridges Bursides has taken and he will have to go strait up Smokey Mountain with out a road so I hope thir is chance for him to get a way and his force taken the men said they never seen the like of deserters coming in and giving them selves up they com in by Companeys they told of a Capt com in with his Company and they are coming in hear giving them selves up I was on Picket Duty to day and thir was on com in he said thir was five came with him I cant see how they will ceap the Armey to gather much longer I reckon the draft  is a begining to alarm the natives well let it rip I am safe and I think that I am luckey I have a chance now to go in a vetran Corpse for hundred dollars [torn] bounty but I thought I would wait until I heard from you if I have the luck to live untill I am discharged from this service I think I will do well then if I want to soldier for life I will [paper torn] some of the boys is going in to [paper torn] 

 

The health of the Companey is good and of the Regament if Westons inqiers on H A Sisson tell them he is well at least abel for his ration of fat meat and bread the weather is warm hear it dos not freeze any hardley hear of a night it is cool and frosty and the worst is it rains often hear it rains a bout evry three white frosts and some times it is a cold rain it snowed hear a little one night but this was not laid on the ground we dont sufer hear with the cold like we would in Mo this has bin nothing like as cold wether her since we came as thir was in Mo before we left thir we have this advantage Oh tell William that if thir was any danger of him being drafted that I would dig me a hole in the ground and hide thir and if he wont do that tell him if he has to draw tell him to resk it he is as abel to draw blank as any one tell him not to voluntier unless he goes in M. S. Malitia if I had to go in any I would go in that tell him to ceap out of any I would lay out in the brush and bushwhack first and then would not as I have write enough I will close for the present time take good care of my babe and see he is well card for

                                                                       

I am ever yours untill Death  John T Hayes

 

Lizzie

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