Eastpoint Near Atlanta Georgia Sept

the 13^th 1864

 

Dear Wife yours of the 19^th & 25^th of August is be fore me. this leaves I & Sherrill well & hoping these lines may find you all well I have nothing very important to write but as I last wrote from Jonesboro I’ll commence there as we fell back there were fifty or sixty rebs followed us to watch our mooves they came up on our rear guard & began to fire on them very brisk & there were a force flanked out on each side of the road & concealed them Selves & the rear guard struck a hasty retreat & the rebs came after them in great haste & the concealed force closed in on them & ast them where they were going & they just surrendered without the fire of a gun every one & that put an end to their fireing on our rear guard their were no more followed to watch our mooves if they did they kept in the distance so that was about / all that taken place worthy of note. we are now in camp of rest we have a beautiful place to camp & a first rate spring six miles south of Atlanta at the junction of the Montgomery & Macon railroad I think this is a healthy country I would of wrote you yestarday but I was very busy fixing up my shebang & I wish you could see it Sherrill & I put up to gether it is very nice I have seen general Sherman have as bad looking quarters it is in a beautiful grove of small pines a high nice place how long we will stay here I dont know but I suppose a month or so till we collect a large base of supplies in Atlanta & then I think we will go on after the rebs their main force has fell back to griffen a bout forty miles from here & is fortafying that place but I dont think they can make a successful stand there for we now hold the key to the defence of georgia (Atlanta) /

 

you said Father had got a letter from me & I was unwell I dont recollect of writing that I was unwell mabe I did but I havent been sick but one day since my return & I marched & caried all my equipments 6 miles that day there has been two or three times that I felt bad for a day or two but it wore its self off for I havent reported to the doctor nor taken no medicine since I returned I have got pretty stout & if laying in camp dont give me the a gue I think I am all right I am glad to learn that there is a prospect that father can moove home & I am also glad to learn that you have you wheat & oats all threshed & done with we are now in camp & I will have many long hours to while a way & think & dream of home & all the luxuries of life while I am far from them but I have but a bout a year to serve & then if I live mabe I can be contented a little better & live on food more holsome / the boys talks some about politics now but they think more about some thing to eat & the pay master than they do about politics we certainly will be paid now before long there is eight months pay due us we have done our duty & I would like the pay masters would do theirs we have lived mostly on fresh beef for meat this campaign we get plenty of that & hard bread sugar & coffee & one mess of beans ever five days & we are drawing some sanitaries now for the first since I returned but our doctors have lived on them all summer but as we are in camp now I hope we will see more of them I have drawn a good out fit of clothing I lack for nothing in that line if you can sell my over coat for 7 dollars do so & I will draw a new one. it is turning some cooler here now we have very pretty weather so I believe that is a bout all this time hoping to hear from you a gain soon I’ll close

 

yours truly       Josiah Bradford

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