Thursday Nov 5^th 1863

Head quarters of Mess No. 1 C^o B 115 Regt, Ind. Vol

Greenville, Green C^o, Tennasee, US

 

Wel Mother

            I take my pen this morning to answer your letter that i received yesterday which was written the 16^th of O^ct i never received the letter which you said you had written 2 weeks before i was mighty glad to hear from you and hear you wear well.

 

I am well and as fat as a mule all the rest of the boys are well that you are acquainted with i believe we are a having a nice time here we have to stand guard evry 2 days but then we get to sleep in a warm house and that is better than sleeping out in tents you know you say you wish i was there to help you eat mince pies well i would like to be there for to get just one mess of them but then as for fresh beef i get enough of that now Mother i would tel you what we have to eat but i am afraid you would feel sorry for me but you needent to for i am living verry well we draw 2 days rashions of coffee and shugar and it has to do us 8 days so that is 1/8 rasions you see and then we draw ½ rashions of bredd and fresh beef thats what we live on but that does verry well when we have no work to do well now id tel you what we done last night me and snoks Sergt Tarvis, J. D. Daniel whet our nives rolled up our sleeves and marched out in serch of a hog so we fasend one up in an old smoke house and got in there with the ax killed it in a minute and skined & gutted it & carried it back to our quarters and then cut it up & salted it a way just as nice as you pleas it would weigh over a hundred lbs / Now you se we will live fat for a few messes any how if we do starv afterwards but there is no danger a starving you know here atall well you say my boots and things are ready you say you can hardly rest when you think how bad i need them now mother i dont want you to think that way atall for i donot need them for i paid a dollar and got my old boots fixed up and they will do very well until my time is out and that will be about the middl of Febuary i guess as for mittens they would do very well when it gets cold wether but i can do mighty well without them but if Mr Daniel comes send them along with him. Now mother i donot want you to think that i am a suffering because i am out here in the army for when i have my helth this is the place for me you ought to be glad that you have sons that can go and fight for their country and not morn becaus they are gon for this is a jus cause and this infernal rebelion must be put down them Butternuts in the north ought to be kill evry one of them when you write i would like if you would tel me what them Northern traitors are a doing. Corporal M^cCampbell got a letter the other day & it said that old Ike Elliott said that i sent him the hemp well im will to take it just wait till i get back & then we will have it settled any way he wants the old Reb wouldent let any of his boys go to the army well they will se that they had better a went when this cruel war is over i donot suppose they can go with any of the union girls atall & id just as leave be dead as be in that fix for i always thought that i was just as good as any boddy else wel tel tobe to write if he hasent forgot he has some brother in the army for id like to know how many hogs they are a fatning & all about the farm in general tel him not to leave (lucy ann & my little Jo Hooker) over to the other place till they starv wel i believe i have nomore to write for dinner is about ready and i must have some of the fresh pork for it will be most excelent wel ill tell you something about our mess N^o 1 there is 14 in it now Ira Sutton is the cook an he is a very good one & a mighty nice & clean cook he is down in the kitchen cooking now Ill send you a rebbel song i went into a house the other day & found they were rebs so i picked up this song and a walked out you se so i will send it to you to keep for me.

 

& ill send this rebbel money to tobe for it is worth nothing here now but befour we came here it went at full value tel lina & martha to write in the next tel all the neighbors that Bart is all right from yore son Bart Dooley

 

To Sarah Dooley

{Iam mighty thankful for them postage                     

stamps you sent me there was 5 of them} /

 

Land of the south thus passing breif,

The record of thine age;

Thou hast a name that darkens all,

On Historys wide page.

 

Let all the blasts of fame ring out,

Thine shall be louder far;

Let others boast their satellites,

Thou hast the planet star.

 

Thou hast a name whose character

Of light shall ne'er depart,

Tis stamped upon the dullest brain

And warms the coldest heart.

 

A war cry fit for any land,

Where freedom's to be won;

Land of the South thou stand'ts alone

By force of thy strong arm.

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