Josiah T. Bradford to Elizabeth T. Bradford, 11 December 1863
                                                                            Brigeport Ala Dec the 11th 1863
 
Dear wife I improve this opportunity of sending you a few lines in answer to yours of the 29th of Nov which came to hand last night I was glad to hear from you all and to hear that you were well this leaves me tolerable well since the battle I havent been verry well I got too hot and then took cold as I have told you all about the battle in a former letter I will not attempt it in this times is quiet here so far as I know but dull our division with some others has returned here for rations was so hard to get at chatanuga we had to do five days on two days rations they havent got the cars to running from here to chatanuga yet for the rebs had burned the Bridge at this place before we got persession of / it with all the bridges between here and chatanuga so while we were there all our supplies had to be hauled over the roughest road I ever saw it is about 30 miles from here to chatanuga we have been here since Sunday I dont know where we will go next but I rather think we will go to huntsville or some where in that country I dont like this Country mutch it is too rough and the Army has almost eat it up there is nothing to eat but what is shipped from the north the papers say something about the Army of the Potomac going in to winter quarters we know nothing about winter quarters we are not looking for it the rebs in this country is awfully discouraged a good many are comeing in and giving themselves up and some are enlisting in our Army I am sorry to hear that your hogs is dieing so mutch but mabe you will have enough left to do you you had better kill them pretty early as corn is so scarce and they might die / after fat I expressed sixty dollars more money the other day to Father to rolla I want him to supply you and them I want him to pay the rest out or use it for I fear the theives will take it away from him I dont know that I will send any more home this winter but I think I will have some to send early in the spring I settled the other day for all my clothing up to the first of October and I was 10 cts a head of clothing allowance and I got it all in money 10 cts I am glad you sold my over coat I think you sold it well you can do them gloves the same way if you choose they cost 100 but you cant get that mutch I guess tell father not to grieve his self about me being a copperhead I have proaved my loyalty in a half dozen battles and I think if some of them strong radicals would proave theirs the same way I would have better faith in them I think they were hard put for smart men as they could of run a better man than Vanwarmer for Judge I voted the conservative / ticket for certain reasons I dont regret it I dont know but I would do it a gain I have saw and red the papers and the radicals say the President is copperhead and so is ever thing else that dont vote for them I never was any thing else but conservative but I deny being a copperhead I believe that slavery is already dead and burried and what is the use of keeping so mutch nuse about it I feel hurt at some of my friends for not wanting me to vote as I please that is what I am fighting for but the radicals are wanting to grow verry popular over the death of slavery that is what is the matter I faver the radical ticket in a good many things but I think they did rong in some things they layed siege at the white house I dident altogether approave of the leading ones said they wouldent help to clean the state of Massouri of rebels till the negroes were freed in the state when the convention had already freed them but it dident suit them so I think that thing is settled for all the negroes
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DATABASE CONTENT
(3250)DL090162Letters1863-12-11

Letter by Josiah Bradford, 32nd Missouri Infantry, Bridgeport, Alabama, December 11, 1863; re: politics, slavery, regiment trying to get to Chattanooga


Tags: Abraham Lincoln, African Americans, Clothing, Destruction of Land/Property, Emancipation, Food, Illnesses, Money, Nature, Politics, Slavery

People - Records: 2

  • (1446) [writer] ~ Bradford, Josiah T.
  • (1447) [recipient] ~ Bradford, Elizabeth T.

Places - Records: 1

  • (408) [origination] ~ Bridgeport, Jackson County, Alabama

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SOURCES

Josiah T. Bradford to Elizabeth T. Bradford, 11 December 1863, DL0901, Nau Collection