Rack Coon Mounttain Tenn

Sept the 17 1863

 

                                                                                                Dear Farther & Mother

I once more have the pleasure of writing you a few lines which leves me well hopeing when these few lines comes to hand thay may find you both and the rest of the folks well and well doing I havent heard from the frount since yestaday morning thay had bin fighting a litle but not then the 2 armeys I serpose are very clost to each other At any minit the suppersition is that Rosencrans is wayting for serplise to have plenty of eatables on hand before he begins the game with them in earnest its rumeard that Lee has sent him 2 Divisions from Richmon but I think Rosey with the assistence of burncids can shingel them all I heard yestaday that the Rebeles had but one way to make there ascape from where thay are now even if thay wished to do so thay are completeley serounded with the excepttion of that one place I am afraid Gen Bragg will take them out at that one place / the same says that he dont apere to be as feard of Rosy as some antisapated tho I beleve myself he will get out if there is any posable chance for him to do it the Rebels are still deserting dayley and all of them puts up a putiefull mouth and say that thay dident get half enouf to eat & treated very bad & cufed about generly some of them seem like thay hate to have the name of being a deserter and all most cry when telling of ther hard ships and privations tho thay say that thay wold sel Jef Davis where gravitation pools up in sted of down before they wold under go what thay had again to carry out his god forcaken institutions I am glad to see them com in all most of as glad as if it was Som of my news is relayton not for my one well fare pertickler but for the well fare of all I new it wold be best for them all to desert and for ever here after skorn the news of rebelion since it has bin sucher curs to the united stats Dispatches stats that Lee is fall back from his former persition behind his brest works / at Richmon I sholdent be serprised at aney time to here of meede gaveing him another round befor he should occupie Richmon in the freuther And I think the next trial he makes he will suckseed in taking the citty my reasens for this is that if he his sent bragg 2 divisions and baregand one and I serpose meede has bin reenforsed by 3000 more men than he had in the last engagement and by Lee sending 3000 of it wold be the same as if meede had bin reenforsed by 6000 if Lee hadent sent non south And I think if meede had had 6000 more the last engagement Lee wold bin taken with Aleven our men was doing well at Charlston the last acount we had from there Sevel of ther strong forts was battered down and thay had ordered a speedy serrend of the town if thay dident thay wold been hit from the way things are At the present I wolent be astonished to here some thing a bout peece be fore long All tho it seemes like pece left us never to retern any more tho we must live in hopes if we die in purpose I still hope for beter times I now the wors can only come 

 

I thought last fall when I lifed home that I wold sertenly be back before this fall but since things has turned out differntly from what I thought I hope I wont allways be deprived of the pleasure of seeing you all and live to gather and be hapy I hope the time is clost at hand when we will be all together and live happy as we once did if it wasent for this tarnel negrow question I wold think a bout restoreing the union a grate eal sooner the Right is Right since god is god and Right the day must win I beleve that it is Right that negrows should serve the whites and be ther slaves the union as it was and the constitution as it is is what we are after and if we dont get it it will be a wonder to me write soon direct your leters to Mcminnvill Tell all the children howdy and write soon give my respecks to all enquiring friends now more but Reman your

 

son and friend untill deth

                        James T                       James T Thompson

                                                To G W & M A Thompson

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