Tennesee Nox County April 21 : 1862
All ways put the No of the Ridgement on your litter
William P. Kircus & My Dear famley
Dear Wife i imbrace the present oppertunety
of Riting you afew lines to inform you that
I am tollerbel well I have not got well of my
Coff yet hoping that thes few lines may find
you all well and well Satisfide and doing will
I Rote a letter last weak and put it in G.W. Wilsons
letter and I exspect you have got that So I will tell
what has happend Since I Rote the letter last
thursday and afriday we went to town and
drawed our Muskets and while we was thare the
Cavelley fetch in 42 youngon men
or yankes that morning tha was 50 men out
of the Ridgement was to go out on picket & I
Vollenteard to go but tha Ether thought too
much of me or too littel I doant no wich but
tha did not take me & when them yankes
Come tha give 20 of us at the head of the compny
10 rounds of cattredges and put us down on the
River agarding them yankes tha put the yankes
in 4 large old houses down on the bank of the River
and put us on the loer Side of the houses and the
hill was prety Slanting and I went of in my
Shirt Sleves without my tobacco & we was put
on at 5 oclock and it Comenst Raining & it was
2 ours after nite before tha fetch my coat or eny
[page 2]
thing to eat but Gorge Sent my Coat & his
Blanket & oil cloth the[n] I faird prety well but it
Raind all nite & this time Stone mud begain to
Rise about Shoe moth deep against day we stood
all nite & til 2 oclock in the Eavning but I am
mistaken about it was Saturday & we stood til
Sunday eavning and onley was taken off one our
& we garded them on to the cars & the 50 that
was detailed to go on picket garded them to Ritch
mon Va and not withstanding the loss of s[l]eep
& fortigue I would agive 5 dollars to awent with
them but none of our Company went bet Corpel
Crow [1] and tha fetch in 41 more from Va
aSunday morning on the train one of the
horsemen Sead he had too brothers withe
them I told him that if I was in his place I
would not Claim kin with them tha was one
man that is one of the gard that had 3
brothern laws amung them & one of them got
kill & he talk to the other two & tolde them that
he had tryed to git them to come with him him
tha Sade tha wish that tha had but it was
two late tha Starded tha tusday that we
Started up hear & the horse men Started
awensday & tha Coatch [2] them about 60 miles
from hear tha was 90 horse men & tha was
Some 6 or 7 hundred of the yankes and tha horse[men]
[page 3]
kild 40 Rite thare & took 4 hundred & 27 prisnrs
& tha was 4 of them talk of Rising against them
& tha Just Shot them down & left them lying
thare Some of them was bareheaded & Some bare
footed & against tha Stade thare in them houses
til Sunday evning tha out Stunk eny thing you
ever Smelt but I must tell you how I fairet tha
Sent me alittle Supper me & John wilson was all
off our mess that was thare asunday morning
before tha cold fetch our brakefast to us gorge
& tom was Sent to gard the gail [3] it had about 
50 in it when we came heare & them I Suppose
that the 41 was put in thare & tha had to Stand
til monday twelve & Billy Baley [4] was put on
corpel gard but he had time to a cook diner
but in the place of that tha eat up what
gorge had cook for us & when we got to the
tent we found nothing but a littel peas of
corn bread & 2 littel peases of fride meat
& I told them to go to cooking & I went to sleep
& tha Cooked anuff fur them Selves & Some
& Sent to gorge & tom & John wake me up
after dark to fix the bed I Cald fur some
thing to eat & tha had none & I never
got none til I cooket it the next morning
William P you may no that I Some
of the dubbel & ta[??]t one about that time
[page 3]
I must tel I tryde my musket
to day one hundred yards & the Best
all Shot at the Root of the tree but me
I Shot Rite level to the Rite I must tel
you that we are a going to Start to the
Cumberland gap awensday morning &
we will have to go afoot & onley 2 wagons
& 6 horses to pull them to a compney & you
no that we will have to leave our Boxes & I doant
no how were to make out if I go I will Rite & if
I Stay I will Rite Gife my best Respects to
Mr Polk & Henry & Mr Kirkus tel the Children
tha must be good to one anuther tel John that
I have got him anuther knife if I ever git to
Send it to him I Swapt the Mosley kife to
Clive Pitman [5] & got a littel dubbel bladed
knife too littel fur me I bought me one today
& give 1.50 fur it what you would cal a dollar &
a half knife thare is worth 4.50 heare the
knife that I got tha would a ast 350 fur but
I got it from one of the 52 Ridgement it is
hear & the batalyon & the 53 Ala Ridgement
come aSunday John. W..Wilson has put aletter
in mine to his father Big James Wilson
& wants you to Send it to him by the first
one you can it is giting late & I have Such a chill that
I cant Rite So fairuwell be good to each other
H.. W. Robinson To his famley and
Wm P Kirkus and famly
Read this to my famley & then give it to them