tul homa ten A pril the 23 1863
dear wife with pleasure I am pur
mit ted to drop you A fue more
lins to day to let you no that I
am as well as Com an hoping thas
fue lins may find you and the Children
all well and dooing well thair is A
grait deel of Excite ment hear to
day we air under marching orders in
five minnets notice we air orderd to
keep on hand three days coockt
Rashings the feds is advancing on
us tha Capturd A trane of Cars
from us nite Be fore last and has taken
mcmin vill Just 30 mils from hear dew
northe of tullohoma tha air you see
advancing on us By A flank moovment
A grate meney of ouer troops has left
hear sum has as I think gon down to war
trace and sum in the directtion of Mc
min vill ouer Bre gade was orderd over
to town this morn ing to work on A
fort and then then we was or derd Back
to Camps what next I dont no But I
think it will Be to armes men fall in
hear take up A line of march whair
to meet the yankeys Just after that
to meet ouer god if in peace O what
A hapey Exchange no more to Be Roused
By the sound of the drum no more hav
to at tend to Role Call no mor gard dew
tey to doo all will Be well thank god
that thair is A Better place for the weary A Rest
[page 2]
ting at home tena I think I hav told
you A Baut the feelings that I in
Joyed onst near your paps while I was
in gaged in prair to my Saver under
A peech tree as you go up in to the
Bottum Just A Round the ture of the Rode
from the shop Rite thair tena god
parden my Cins I felt hap pey and thank
god for Just sutch feelings not withe
standing I hav dun Bad and wcked sence
But thank god I hav not lost Cite
yet and tena I will tell you when I
made sum urnest promesess was was the
morning that little William og Burne
died I helt him By his Rite hand while
he was Exchanging worlds he seemd to
fix his Eys on mee and went off that way
I promest that sweet child that I wood
meet him in heaven tena I in tend to
make my thouts true I want to meet
all of my Children in A land of Rest
and you my Bosom friend if I never see
you in this world any more O my dear
try to meet your Children in A Bet ter
land than this tell all of my dear
little Children howdey and kiss them
for mee with A full Sole I Close this
letter I will Rite in a A fue days A gin I for
got to say in that letter yester day to
unkel feels that thair was A Regmant
in ouer Bregade that was mad up A
Round nashvill and in nash vill if he Cu
ms hear he Can see lots of his old ac
quaintces I will finish whair I commenced
[the following is written in the top and left margins of page two]
tena I want you to Rite to mee as soon as you git this letter I will Rite as offen as I Can tell this Rip is over tena I saw you last nite vary plane a that it had Bin So this moring tena I think if I live to git Back we will liv and in Joye ouer selves Better than Ever I will Bee of more use to you than Before
[continued in the top and left margins of page one]
I am A spleded Coock and nice A Baut it as any gall and I can wash first Rate tena I will send my flanen shirt and drawers Back home the first good Chance I have the weth has got two hot for them I wont send them By A tena I cut the Buttens off of that old Cot I sent home I want you to let mee no if you Ever got them shoos and things or not Be shur and Rite soon as you can tell all my frends houdey tell your mother houdey for mee and that I want to see hur John W Reese to Cristena V Reese his loving wife