november the 19 1863
dear wife with pleasure I
tak the op portunity of Riting
to you A fue lins to let
you no that I am as well
as Comon hoping thase
fue lins [1]
and my dear lit tle Children
all well and dooing Better
than mee if you ant you
air dooing vary Bad tena
I am seeing the badest
time now I Ever saw in
my life we dont git mor
than half A nuf to Eat half
[???] time no meet and [??]
[line obscured by fold]
how wood like to see
pap take A peace of Cold Corn
Bread for his Breckfirst and
vary Small at that its for
you and them that I am suf
ring if it was not for the
lov I hav for you and them
I wood not stay in this war
[page 2]
no longer than dark But I was not
musterd in to survis when
the Rest of the Regmant was
and I wont git my money
tell A Baut the first of Jan
uary un less I Can sell
[???] my Best to sell
[?] tha air owing mee 77 doll
ars for wagers and A Baut
60 dollars of Comppotishing
money that was A lowed
for my Clothing that I
never tuck up in All mak
ing one hundred and thirty
seven dollars tena this is A
lit tle two mutch for mee
[???] after mee sufering
as mutch as I hav for it tena
I shall sell the firs Chance I
hav and then I am cuming home
dont git out of hart you
no that it wood hav Bin A
Bad chance for mee to hav
stad at home in all of that
fus that has Bin in old Buncomb
[page 3]
tena I Rote to you By
david waggner for you
to Rite to mee as soon as
you got it and let me
no how you was giting
A long and if you Ever
got my Bl [2]
lost going home or not
I got my Shirt and slips you
sent mee at tullahoma I hav
got them on now O how glad
I was when I got them Beca
use you sent them I hav got
you A pair of Shoose if I Can
send them to you levey in[??]
will take them to you tena we
air on the norwest Cide of
the mishnary Ridg in Cite of
Chat ta nooga tena it is
A Cite to Be hold from the
top of this Ridge you Can see
Chat A noogia and yankys
A plenty tena wee hav
[page 4]
A Baut seventy fiv thousan
men hear and the feds has
A Baut twist that A maunt
this is A awful Cit to loock
A pon our pickets lins is in
two hundrd yards of Eochotter
I was on picket the other nite
tha was whisiling at us all
nite trying to git us to go
over to them But my mind Run
Back to your Bossom and my sweet
little Children I Cood not go
But thair A maney one going
over and if tha dont feede us
Bet ter tha will All go and
git A Cup of Coff fey
my Best fred is at home
James M Ray he is mist po
werful Bad By the Boyes he is
All man send him wod that
I say so tena I hav Bin wait
ing for A let ter from you
But I Cant git no let ter
tell all of my friends houdey
kiss my Boyes fair well John W Reese
to CT V Reese