Knoxville Mar 25th 1863

Dear Father & Mother [his stepmother]
After a bisey day at this Sity
I write you Afew lines , I left my Company
at Co Co Creek last Friday all well except
Some Slight Sickness not worth note I
have bin to Col Thomas hed quarters his
Legion is now under gen [?] E. Jackson [1] &
our boundery apears to be Western NC &
Eastern Tenn I am to remain at Coco
Creek a while yet to ceth [2] deserters & concrits
& to pevent catel from being drive from this
State I was at the S Planes [3] 2 days but
did not git to See David [4] as he was out on 
a scout I Bought to day 3 toom stones 2
for my litel children & 1 for Mother it is
nearly 5 ft long & 10 inches wide he is to put
on all the leters you Sent & Finish it up
for $50 (fifty dollars) & is to furnish a foot stone
& box the hole & deliver at the depoat this Sity
my 2 costs 24 dollars very small Size
I unde Stand Brother Silas Rased a company
in Gilmore co [5] GA & is gon to Savanna I do
not Know the trouth as it I sopse it is so
Garret Taylor is a prisoner & not Kiled I
hare nothing from Jims boys only [???]
which Says [???] is giting well
[page 2]
Father I may not git home again till
the war is over & [???] never I want you
to try & to to my house & git the date of both
of my litel Children Birth & death & send it
to me at co co Creek So that I can have
the tom stones Letered & I hope you or Some
one else will See that them & Mothers is
put up in their proper place it is the un
-certanty of life that promps me to ask this
of you tho I hope to see it don my Self
thar is no war news of intrust except that
Rosancrancs is falling back from murphy
Borow Father write to me soon as I want
to her from you & my Friends
I must say to you that I have now
120 Men in my company I have had no
trouble with them yet my orders has
never bin disobeyed & has not punished
one Single man yet I must close as
I am tired & it is about nine oclock
your Son S, Whitaker