Shelbyville Tennessee May the 17th 1863
My Dear & dearly beloved Companion
it is alone through the kind protection
& mercy of all mity god that I am blest
withe the privelige of riting to you to let
you no that miself & mack Donald is as
well as common at this time & i truly hope
these few lines may find you & the dear
children & the connection all well &
doing well i can say to you that i have
bin verry sick withe something like the
flux but i am up & about & able to doo
duty i feel weak & bad i have something
like the gravel that hurts me verry
bad at times but i am giting along better
than i expected i think that i am doing
fine & and as well satisfide here as i co
ld be any whare to be in this trubble
som war & exposed to all of the privat
ions of a camp life i dont think that
this war will last verry long for all
of the men that i have heard talk
a bout it is tierd of it now & they are
deserting & leaveing here every day more
[page 2]
or less i saw James Pellums this morning
he is as well as common & sends his love &
best respects to you all thomas Smith is
her & well he says that Jasper Webb left
to go home & got to a private house in
lincorn county & thare died mi be loved
wife I can Say to you that I do want to
See you & my dear little cildren the worst
i ever did in my life o when i think of
you and them & think of the Situation that
we are now plased in & the distance that
we are apart it grieves my hart but i do
hope & trust & pray that we will be per
mitted to Se each others fond fases one tim
more in this life & that before long i want
you to rite to me & let me no how you are git
ting along & how you are makeing out for
Something to eat & how your Stirs [1] is doing
& how you are gitting along withe your
crop how your Stirs works & how your
cows is doing & how your wheat looks
& i want you give me all of the nuse
you can about the connection & all
about every thing you can turn
over
[page 3]
my Dear & mutch wife i can not expre
ss the love that i have for you & the
loving little children in a letter for
you twine a round mi hart in love
my dear little children i want you to
be good to your mother & minde what
She Says to you & be good children & be
good to one another & good to your aunt
lithy & to every boddy & love your cre
ator & pray to him & ask him to bless
you & me withe every nedy blessing
bouth temporal & spiritual that his
all seaing eye Seas that we do stand
nead of to prepare us in life for liv
ing death for dying. Marthy i want
you to rite to me as soon as you git this
withe out fail for i want to here fro
m you so bad that i dont no what
to do i have rote too letters before
this & i have got no answer rite &
be shure all the nuse you can & tel
Wm Webb & Stepen & Louis & wash
ing Harris all to rite to me & give
all of the nuse they can about
every thing
[page 4]
Dear wife i want you to git Some of
the boys put them big puncheons
over the well in the place of that
oald plank for fear it brakes &
lets some of you fall in & i want
you to have the well cleand out &
i want to no whether you have heard
from John Webb & John Walker or not
& what my zell is doing i must quit
I will close by saying may god bless
you all farewell for this time in love
Wm B. Gilliland To Marthy Jane
Gilliland & friends in bonds of love
A few lines to father mother & W
i drop you these few lines to let
you no that i am in common health
at this time & i truly hope these few
will find you the happy Sherers of
the Same like blessing for which we
should be Thankful dear father & mo [2]
ther i want you to pray for me &
mi famly & tel all the old frends
to pray for me To John Webb
Wm B Gilliland Jane Webb in
bonds of love