Sugar Grove Dec 3^rd 64

 

            Dear Jettie

                                    Yesterdays mail brought us the announcement of a hard fought battle at Franklin Tenn between Thomas and Hoods forces on the 30^th ult with a strong probability that a still more decisive engagement has 'ere this taken place in the vicinity of Nashville we shall wait with intense anxiety to hear from you as "the 2 div of the 4^th corpse are reported to have fell stood the" brunt of the battle. I conclude if you life and health have in mercy been spared you have now too much on your hands to find time to write; I have been thinking all day what scenes of anguish and distress you must become familiar with and asking the blessing of Haven on your efforts to save the lives or soothe the anguish / of the suffering under your care

 

You must have had as hard and long (I should think unnecessaryly long) road from Atlanta to Columbia Tenn where you seem first to have met the enemy I received your letter from Gatesville Al and though it had been almost a month on the way it did allayed our anxiety and gave us a clue to your where abouts I think no move since the war began has intensified the deep feelings of everybody as Shermans bold push south and we almost repress our breathing while we wait the event We enjoyed a good but short visit from W^m H H Peirce in October and were happily disappointed to see so little disfiguration by his wound It was a great satisfaction to me that with so many causalties his appearance physically and morally indicated enjoyment and usefulness in future but I must write other and sadder news from your cousin Willie Hatch he was home on furlough

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