december the 6 1863
dear wife with pleasure I am pur
mit ted to drop you A fue lins to
let you no that I am still in the land
of the living and in Joying tolerbill
good helth with the Exception of A
Bad Cold hoping thase lins may find
you and the Children all well and
dooing Better than mee if you aint
you air dooing power ful Bad
tena I hav thaut and sed that I wood
not Rite to you any more tell you
thaut A nuf of mee to Rite to mee
my feelings is hurt to think I hav
Rote and Rote and I Cant git any letters
from you I hav Rote 8 or ten letters
to you sence I left home and has
onley got one from you this is hard
it Cuts Close Con cidder this mat
ter for your self I Can speek for my
self I hav not for got you no no
I Can say to you the grat Battle on
mish nary Ridg has Bin faut and Bragg
has Recieved A nother Compleet
whiping and we air now at dalton
in Georgia this fite Commenct
[page 2]
the 25 of november on Loockout moun
tain the yankeys Charg ouer Brest works
on the loock out and tuck them from
ouer men and on the 26 the next day the
pickets Run in ouer pickets A Baut
ten o Clock we was li ing in ouer
Brest works ouer Canons was plast
in ouer Rear on top of the mish nary Ridg
and ouer Brest works was at the foot
of the Ridg in front of Chat tanoogia
ouer Batters Cood play on the yankeys
Clean over us tha was shel ing Each
oth er in the Eving and the order
Com up for ouer offficers to send
us up to the top of the Rid Just A fue
at A time to keep the yankeys from
dis Covering the Retreat well I think
I was A Baut in the third squad that
started fur the top of the Ridg well
the yankeys disCoverd the game and hear
tha Cum By thousands it was A Baut
half A mile from the Brest works to
the top of the Ridg when I got ABaut
half way up the Ridg I loock Back
over the valey the yankeys was
A Baut A hundred yards of ouer works
[page 3]
and the Shels was flying as thick as hale
over mee Boath ways ouer men had to
Run up to the top of the Ridg whair the
in tended fite was to Cum off thair was
lots of ouer men never left the Brest
works at tall when the yankeys mounted
the Brest works tha pord A voley down
in ouer dches poor men tha intended
I Expect to Be taken prisners But I am
A frade tha lost thair livs By so dooing
then up the Ridg tha startted and
ouer men that had started for the top
was Caut Be twene the fiar of ouer men
that had gand the top and the yankeys
in the rear O what A turbill affair
ouer Bregad was in the gap of the Ridg
at Braggs hedquarters we helt the top
of the Ridg tell ouer men had giv
way on Boath Cides of ouer Bre gade
and the yankeys had gand the top of
the Ridg on Boath Cides of us and we
had to Run out from under A Croos
fiar tena the Balls flue as thick as
hale I Cood see the durt fly up all
A Round mee But thank god I
got out Safe and to him the prais Be long
[page 4]
tena that Sweet name to mee
I Can say with mutch Joy that
whil Riting this letter I ReCieved one
from you that was Rote the 29 of nov
ember I am so proud of it I Cant
hardley Rite tell John to keep them
Chickens for as soon as I git my
money I am Cuming home and I want
my little Cag ful of Brandey to work
the Cold out of mee the 58 and 60th
Rigmants is Con Solidated we lost 97
men out of the two Regmants frank
ling Black the Preecher was kild or
taken pris ner he was mong the last
that left the Brest works you did not
git that leather well I hav got you A
vary good pair in my nap sack for you
and I am going to Bring them to you as
soon as I git my money wee will draw
A Baut Cris mus tena we air A Bad
whp set of folks we lost all we had
thousands of dollars worth of property
went up Sutch A destrocted armey
neve was Be fore no histerry ever
giv no sutch ACount it is A shame
But Just as I sed it wood Be and so it is