Chattanooga Tenn.

Oct 16^th 1863

 

Dear Cousin                                                                                                    

 

                                    Its with the greatest pleasure I take this opportunity of writing you a few lines to inform you that I am only tolerably well at the present time I hope that these few short uninteresting lines will find you all enjoying good health. I have been quite sick since I have been out here but is now getting well I hope I had some very severe chills but have got them broke off at last. I am now at the Hospital or what they call a Hospital about two miles from the Regt [paper fold] place than the Regt we are staying in an old barn & we get nothing but poor beef and corn bread to eat I intend to return to the Regt as soon as I am able to walk thair. I am very much weakened from my spell of [?] I regain my streanth very slowly indeed / if I had of  stoped at the Hospital on the rode I would have been well before this time but I thought we going into a fight and I wanted to be with the rest of the boys. we got in a little skirmish after we got here but no body hurt on our side. Dear Cousin we thought that we have seen hard times but I afraid we have seen nothing to compare with what we will see this winter. all the boys looks very much used up but they keep in pretty good health we have more sick men now and we had in six month in virginia I seen Cousin Jim & Len White yesterday they were here to get their teeth drawn they were well with that exception. I also seen Donald he was well I herd from them all to day they were complaining about their teeth a little we get very little to eat the poorest beef I / ever saw in my life the men dont get much more than half enough to eat but we can put up with all that if we can keep our health we have not had any rations in two day on the account of so much rain the creeks are so full we cant rations across I hope we will get them to day. Dear Cousin I am sorry I have no news to write about that will interest you at all. we are in the last place in the world we cant get any papers to see what is going on or what doing you can see & hear more than we can we are just lying here watching Rosencranse doing nothing I dont see any prospects for a fight here just now I have just herd some good news if only true but I am afraid it is two good I have just herd Gen Wheeler has captured & distroyed rosencranse train / of wagons he has four hundred on the rode for our army he also distroyed five hundred wagons thirty miles of rail Rode and distroyed a tunnel on the rode also. if all this is true Rosencranse will have to leave Chattanooga soon for he will have to hall all of his provisions from Nashville Tenn and they cant do it. I hope it is all so. I would like to hear from Charleston very much & Gen Lees army also. I got a letter yesterday from home the first I have received since Booth got here. I have writen home twice Dear Cousin I must now close give my love to uncle Zack & Aunt Jane and all the rest of the family tell Sue I will write to her soon remember me to uncle Joes family & all enquiring friends no more but remain your affectionate Cousin untill Death M. M. Brown

write soon as you can & tell Cousing Gus to write

 

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excuse bad writing & spelling Direct your letters Co E P.S.S. Jenkins Brigade Hoods Division Byrum is well & harty        Atlanta Georgia

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