David Matthews

Moriss Tenessee 40 miles a bove [1]
Noxville April 20 63 Dear wife I

a gain rite to you to conter dick my
Last letter I rote at we was gon to
Cane tuckey hour trip was conter
manded & we have Stop for fother ords
I dont noe when we will leave hir or
Whare we will goe to wea have bin
Inn a march 4 Days we have hard
Times and worse a comeing we are
Expecten the yankes in east ten
essee threw the comeberlin gapp or
Some other gapp thay Say at thay
Entend to have this cuntray & i
Woodend bee Soe prise thay dont
We have had a ruff time on hour
Tripp i expect to Send this bye Wm
Mack [Br???] he iss furlowed home to
Git a horse all off the dismounted
Men are furlod to git a horse this
Leaves uss all Tollerable well when
I Say we i mean me & Dan & Ezekel
Rite to Knoxvill tenness co [?]
Harts 4 ga cav David

[2]
the yankes stripet mrs beile of
hire julery an takeind hire finery
An stomp it in the yard then
takend all of the fine horse
tha come a cross tha fought bee
twene [croff?] an Blunts kild 2 of
the southern boys an the yankey
cournel was killd an wonded 3 tha all dide
nun of the d[o]ctters wold not
dress their wons tha burnd up
all of blunts out bildings corn [?]
fodder an such like tha burnd
the iron works David i dont
know [?????] to do if you cant
come home i want you to come home
bute i want you to git off on good
turms i dont [??????????????] in
our wheat but i some [????] [m?]usty
weeat yestoday their yankee said
thaw old bee a long to cute our
wheat fore uss [??] [smith wants me
to pay that note [?????] i cant
do it without taking all of the
money i have gote i paid fore
your still [??] dollars [???]
he wod not let me [have?] no lether