Tenesee 1863
Camp Wartrace May 12
Dear Wife I take this
oppertunity of righting you
a few lines which will
inform you that I am
well and I truly hope
that this will finde
you and all of your fat
hers family well J W
Collins got a letter from
his father with some in it
to me from you and your
mother and I was glad to
here from you but was
sorry to here that timmy
and your pap had bin sick
but I am in hopes that they
are well before now I am
afraid that your pap wi
ll be sick like he was
last summer I wish it was
so that I could help him
[page 2]
I sent home sixty dollars by
George pellam I sent it to pa
as I thought that he would
have the best chance to get it
and I have got a bought sixty
or seventy dollars more that
I would like to send home
if I can git a chance to send
it to you I will send it to
you as I can and I want you to
use it as you see proper I
would of ritting to you by G
pllam but I did not no that
he was going back till in the
night before he was going to
start and wee had orders
to cook rashings to leave the
next morning so I had no
time to do anything hardly
and a bought the time that wee
got our cooking don the orders was
counter manded we are here yeat
[page 3]
we have moved a bought 12
or 14 miles from where wee
was there is a right smart mo
veing a bought a[??] the soldiers
here but there is nothing
of importance going on here
generl forrest taken a bought
15 hunderd or or thousand yankeys
a few day a go not fare
from here I got a letter from
sister Nancy and Margaret this
morning they was well I
was glad to here from thim
I have got one letter from
your gran ma and I have rit
ting severl to her I have
never got a letter from
you yeat is it becaus
you dont right or is it becaus
I cant get letter when it is
ritting to me it seemes that
my letters all gits there at
[page 4]
one time I have ritting
one a bought ever week if
you will go over ant ann
will right for you I have got
two letters from here go and see
her tell her that I am well wee have
got one of the best meetings a
going on here close to our regt
that I have ever seen any where
say to your mother that I was glad
to here from here I want her to right
to me fo[r] she can right a little
any how the boys is all tol
erbul well at this time and sen
ds their respets to you all I want
you to right to me soon and
right how you are all a getting
a long I am in hops that the time
will come when wee will have no
need to right to each other I am your
Husband as ever T T Bigbie
To his Wife Mary J Bigbie