Cumberland Gap Tennessee
May 7 – 1862
My Dear Wife
I drop you afew lines to let you no that
we are all well or how we my mess
all that is heare or at eny Rate
I am well exsept bad Cold & Coff
hoping that thes few lines may
find you all well and doing well
I had give out giting eny letters from
you & yesterday I heard about twelve
that W. P. Kircus was acoming &
I got me apass when you git apas
heare you have to go to the Captain
Colnel & Ginerel & you Cant git
out without it but I got apas &
met William 5 miles from Camps
whare I cindley Resevd 2 letters was
glad to heare from you all one time
more you never have Sent me but
1 letter before Cence I have bin
in Camps I Rote you one when I
left the big Shanty & backet it
to kircus & you got that but you
never ansurd it then when I got
to knoxvill I Rote one & backet it
to kircus & when I left thare I
Rote one & then last thursday
[page 2]
after the fite I Rote you one it hant
Come to hand yet if you doant git
it I will give you a littel Sketch of the
fite we landed heare Monday the 28
of Apirl & the 29 the enmey attacted
us we kept up the fier about or btween
3 & 5 hours the enmey as fare as
we no lost 15 we Saw them Carrey
off 15 we lost none 3 wounded
one of the Nothcarolinans & 2 of the
3d gorgia Battalyon the first was
Shot through the leg the latter
through the thygh one of
the latter thigh was broak &
the yankes got him tha was out
on picket & the yankes Cut off
there Retreet is how Come them
to git wounded we did not hear
of him in Severl days tha was a
woman fetch in the word whare
he was tha was 2 yankes doctors
attending on him tha treated him
very well tha left it to his Chois
wether he would have his leg Cut
off or not & he cosented & tha
Cut it off & wated on him nice
[page 3]
tha went after him last Saturday
with a flage of truce & tha told them
tha was welcom to him if tha would
wate til he got better tha left his
brother with him & Come back &
tha got oneasey for feare tha
would take them both & the went
back after him he saes tha treated him
well but he Ses he will git in the
trench & fite them again the Reporte
of our fight is Com to Camps
published in the Confedersay it
Says the fight lasted
11 hours & that our loss was 17 kild
& 30 wounded & on the other Side there
lost kild was 30 and 4 hundred wounded
how meny was kild & wounded on
the other Side but tha was no one
kild on our Side & onley 3 wounded
but the bullets Whisteld Round us
prety thick it is the best fotyfide
place heare I ever Saw we can whip
ten to one I under stood a few minuts
ago that the yankes was all left
heare & gone to Chattanooga but ther
intenshion is to Reenforce & Come on the
other Side we are looking fore a fite ever day
[page 4]
I Rote a letter to Alabama to day
& am a going to Rite one to Jasper
Hamons this evening if nothing hapens
tha was Sevel Balls whistel by my head
Some of the boys was prety bad fritend
one bawl fel in afoot or too of me it
Came through Capt Thomases [1] tent
& Struck at the dore of Capt weavers [2]
I Can Say with a truth that I was
not the least bit fritend we stood
on picket that knite I Stood in
plain vew of the yankes fier whare
tha was Campt tha was So posed
to be 15 thousan of them Exsected
to be Re enforst by 10 thousan more
thare is no noing when we will leave
heare you can look as fur as your Eyes
Can See & you cant See nothing but
mountans Caintuckey is nothing
but mountains as far as you can
See I live in Caintuckey but the
gap and the poast office is in tennessee
I can by walking Round one tre & walk
in 3 States tennessee vergina &
Caintuckey we got aplenty of meat
& brad I have my gorge on bisquet
[page 5]
you must Rite to me as soon as you can
I would be glad to git one very weak or evry
day if it did not cost too much you need not
wate to hear whare I am to Rite Rite to
the place where you heard of me last & if
I am gon the letter will follow me I Sopose
Margret has gon & left you I Exspected that at
the Start you must try to git Some body to Stay
with you if She dont Stay William kircus
took Sick about 5 miles from hear I went
to meet him and got the letters he had on
my coat & he sad he had better keep it on &
I let him keep it So I doant no wether it
will fit me or not but if it doant I will
make it fit I put him in a wagon & Sent him
back to Tazwill 13 miles from heare our
hospitel is thare & we was Sending Some
of our compney out thare that he was very
well aquainted with I told him that I was
going to Rite and he Sade fer me not to Rite
bout him so you must not let his wife
no it Elias Canon [3] Stopt at the hospitel
to wate on the Sick you Rote Something
about baking me some bread but he never
Sead eny about it so I exspect he eat it I
want you to Rite how you are doing and how
your money holds out & I doant want you to
[page 6]
Rite that you are doing well when you
are not I have to pay 50 cents per plug fore
tobacco littel bits of pluges I can chaw 1 a
weak & 1 dollar per quier for paper & 75
cent for invelops by the pack
Children you must all be good children
& mind what your mother tels you
& you must not fite Each other
all have drawn up apeace of Riting & all
of the Compney assigen it that if one
the Compney dyes or gits kild to Send him
home & let him be bured in his native Soil
let it Cost what it will I must Come
to a Clos tel Mr Polk I will Send
him & Henry that I will Rite them a letter
when I git Eny thing of importence to Rite
& time to do it give my Best Respects to
Mr Polk & Henry Mr Kircus & all inquiring
frends So no more but Remain your
loving husband un til deth So
fare you well Send your letters to this
place till you git a letter from me at Some other
place
H.. W.. Robinson To
Elisabeth Robinson & his
Famley Margret & Francis Bridges