Tyler Smith Co Texas           

August 22^nd 1864       

                       

My dear friend—

                         Having been delayed here longer than I expected, I shall not wait until I reach my command before writing to you. I would have written to you some days since but I was mad with you, and of course could not write a letter with out showing that I was or the question will naturally arise what I was angry with you about, and I answer, simply because you would not allow me to see you before I left Crockett, or to say good bye to you. now you did treat me badly about that, did you not, certainly you did—but I shall not quarrel with you now I might do so if I could see you, but as I am so mighty far off, and expect when this reaches you to be farther, I shall give up the pleasure of a quarrel and write as good a letter with as much friendship in it as I can possibly think of under the circumstances, which I can assure you are not the most favorable in the world to letter writing. what those circumstances are I leave you to imagine as it would not interest you, and would cause me to make my letter longer than I wish it to be. you must not infer from my last remark that I do not wish to write a long letter to you for when I commenced this it was my intention to write a lengthy epistle. I still expect to do so if I can only find any thing to write about. my ideas however I must inform you are as dull as my pocket knife and I know if you dont that that is so dull that I can not tell to save my life which was originally the edge, so after this explanation you must expect, if you have not already seen it, or rather found it out, a very dull letter, but remember I am doing the very best I can. Well I have been writing on and trying my best all the time to think of some subject to start upon and I find I have nearly finished one page of nonsense with out an item of interest in it, but I trust to your kind heart for forgiveness and when I turn this page I am going to tell something or say something or I will rub out & start anew /

 

just on my left Adjutant Morris, formerly of Crockett, and a very particular friend of mine as well as yours, is setting writing some official document. he is looking so statue like so steady and stern, that I verily do believe that if a 24^lb cannon ball were to strike him square on the head, it would only knock out a few sparks of fire and the ball would be mashed to a thousand pieces. He has found out that I am writing to you and he sends his most pious and holy regards, also his best love. He has said so much to me that he wished me to say in this letter that I cannot think of half he did say. He says he intends going to Crockett in a few days and then he is going to see you the first one and tell you more sweet and pretty things than I ever thought of in my life, and he talks so earnestly about it that I am getting jealous and if he talks much more about it I will pull his ears for him, and for fear you might become too much interested I shall not tell you any thing more he said I almost wish I had said nothing about what he said, or that the cannon ball would tap him on the head, but if that official document bothers him for an hour longer as it has done for the last two hours I think he will have to be sent to the lunatic asylum at Austin.

Well now I must try & think of something else. Oh tell me, has the protracted meetings ceased yet in Crockett if they have, who have lost their religion and who still holds out. I am anxious to know who can keep religion in these sinful times. I suppose the camp meetings will commence soon and more will be converted then. I do not mean to make fun of religion by making those inquiries, nor do I mean to make light of those who have professed religion. I fondly hope and trust that you and Sallie will never forget that you have made a profession of religion, and that you may be bright and shining lights in the church but enough of this I am not going to preach a sermon but am just writing everything that comes into my mind having nothing particular to write about. Well I must make haste & finish this poor affair for I must make my arrangements to leave tomorrow, and then I have to travel 250 miles before I reach my Regiment dont you feel sorry for me. You neednt for I will be the gladdest man on earth when I can leave this place and I will agree never to visit Tyler again if I can help it. If you go to the camp meeting you must give me a full description of all you see and hear &c. Well now I will tell you something which will interest you. I saw a gentleman who lives in Waverley he saw your beau Mr P a short time since he was well and said he was going by Crockett to see a certain young lady there of course I knew who he was going to see and I suppose he is in Crockett by this time and of course you are enjoying yourself finely at least I hope you are. tell me all about it when you write the gentleman spoke in high terms of Mr P and said a good deal about him which I shall not repeat at present but will wait until I see you then I will tell you all he said, as well as something else which I have promised to do before. You must write to me immediately upon the receipt of this and give me all the news. I heard some one say before I left Crockett that you were going with Sallie to Independence, is it so. I forget who told me, I did not think it was so.

 

Well this page is done and I am going to commence another. I will take my time for once /

 

[written backwards] You must write me a letter about 300 yds long and tell me every thing that is and has been going on in Crockett since I left. I suppose some of my kind and obliging acquaintances are rejoicing over it not a little. I wish them much pleasure over their joy and also hope it will not be necessary for me to meet them again until the war is over. [end backwards writing]

 

But I must beg pardon for commencing on the wrong side of this page and writing backwards. I did not intend it. happened to be talking about writing in that manner and without noticing I commenced this page in that style. I promise you I will not do so again. I fear now that if some unkind persons were to see it they would say I was slightly enebriated, but as it goes to one I value as my dearest friend I send it without such fear. I have no doubt you think I might give you a few items of news, and as I know you feel deeply interested in the affairs of your country and its welfare I will do so. On yesterday, there arrived at this place 128 prisoners from the Indⁿ department, they were captured by Genl Gano near Ft Smith last month. they belonged to the 6^th Kansas Reg^t U.S. Army and were the best fighting Reg^t the Yankees had at Ft Smith. Genls Gano Cooper and Watie made an attack on that place on the 31^{st ult}, did not take the place but captured quite a large quantity of stones. Our troops are now preparing to make an assault upon Ft Gibson, and from what I can learn from my command they will start by the 30^th of this month. My command has suffered a good deal lately and acted very gallantly. I am proud to hear such a good report from them and hope I will soon be with them once more I shall use every effort to reach them before they make an attack in Gibson. the enemy are reinforceing at Little Rock and will give Genl Magruder a lively time I fear and the last piece of news of a military nature is that two or three Battalions of the reserve Corps have arrived here, the troops of the line relieved & will go to the field in active service. But enough of military news and enough of nonsensical writing dont you say so, and although, my sweet friend, I have had nothing to write which would interest you and have been writing at random, still I must say that it has been a pleasure to know that I am writing to you. deeply and truly do I appreciate your friendship and valuing it as highly as I do, it could not be aught but a source of pleasure to converse, even by writing with you. memory often carries me back to the pleasant moments I have spent in your company, and in the darkest moments that flash across my heart the memory of you, and your pure friendship, lulls the stormy feelings to rest and makes me forget for the time the wearisome cares of life. Oh how sweet it is to know that we have a true friend, how lasting, how strong / are the glittering links in the golden chain that binds them together. With me, friendship and the consciousness of knowing that I have a true friend, is esteemed & felt to be the most sacred of Gods blessings.

 

            I was greatly disappointed by not seeing you before I left Crockett. it caused me a good deal of sadness. my friends in this cold world are few and when I part from them I like to hear the sad though sweet old word Good bye. Months & years may pass before I meet you again, but while life shall last and the power of memory are left me you will never be forgotten. Can I hope that you will remember me too. I can, I trust, answer the question, too often has [?]die shown her friendship for me, and her heart is too noble and pure to allow absence to cast the memory of a friend into oblivious shadow.

 

            I must now close, for both time and space are warning me that my letter must soon end. Remember me to my friends, Mrs Cox, Miss Betty Monroe, Mrs Burnett & the Capt, also Capt Duke.

 

Give my love to Sally and kiss her for me, accept for yourself my love and may thy thoughts by day be as happy as thy gentle heart could ask, and thy dreams while slumber's power is oer thee, may they be as bright as angels songs in the land of bliss, and may the fairest of the heavenly band be ever nigh to shield you from the harms & sorrows of this world—is the earnest prayer of your friend as ever

D Waverley

 

Direct your letters to me as follows

 

[picture of an envelope]

 

O.B.

D. W. Lewis

Hardemans Regt

Ganor Brigade

Choctaw Nation

Bonham Texas

via Doaksville

 

Tell Sallie I will write to her when I get to Bonham. both of you write me a long letter at once & I will get it at Bonham

SOURCES