Carters Depot Aug 2nd 1863 [1]
Dear Father & Mother 
I write you a few lines to
Let you know whar I am & what doing I am very un well
at this time & have had Savier cold & it has
turned to Some thing like the Pluracy I Sufer
very much tho Still on my feet if I dont
get beter I must git to a house, Martial is very
Sick tho not dangerous Wetherman & Graham
is both on the mend Walkers Batt is her
we are garding the Bridge over Wattoger [2] & keep
ing out pickets, the bushwhakers came in
4 miles of her a few nights ago to A Mr
& cawled out his 2 Sons both Lieut in the
army & told them that the yankey had
taken Carters Depot & was coming on them
and for them to make thar escape by this mens
they got up & went out & was taken off by
the cowardly reches & one of them Shot the
other probably Murdered the one that was
found was buryed by my men yesterday
they was both fine yung men one in the recruting
Servise the other at home on Furlow
thar has bin a force Sent to NC to Put down
the bushwhakers thar, Father I wrote you from
Knowville a few day ago in relation to the
Toomp Stones I thout then I might be Sent
to Charleston or back to Louden if I had
I could have Seen to giting the Stones hawld
up they are Shipt to Cleveland you can
git Some one that is goin after Salt to hawl
them Doct Washburn will have Salt thar
in the corce of a week if you cant do this
you can git 2 of my oxen & send after them
[page 2]
the frate is dew it was les than 200 to Louden
So it will not excede 500 to Cleveland the agent
at Louden did not want to recive the frate
as he Said it would be les trouble to recie it
all at cleveland
Father I wanted to attend to this mater but I
have done all I could & am now too far off to
See to it at presant, I hope you will be abel to See
to it I am antious for the Stones to be put up
tho I may nevr See them. David got her
Safe he Stopt with me Friday night his com
-pany is in yancey co N.C. he is gon to See
Gen Jackson & report for orders he cant
git though the mountains to his co now
for the bushwhakers the vixburg Prisoners
is giting home daly they had a hard time
they dont blame Pemberton for the Suren
-der & Say Gen Johnson did all he could
to relieve them but was not abel to do
So we lost 27000 Prisoners this is the wor
-st lick of the war, but we Still have
about 40000 yankey Prisoners left after
exchangin for the vixburg men. I got this
information from an officer in the exchan
-ge department & now her bording at the
Same Taver[n] with me. this is corect he says
Father [I?] have paid Hays det I have long owed
him I recon now he finds whare he Stands
& all other men that acts tord Soldiers as
he has done Col Thomas [3] is at Knoxville
under arest I dont know all the charges
agains him the principal one is for disobedience
of orders Thomas will be smart enough for
them thar is grate Pregatis against him
Col Walker [4] is her
[page 3]
Father I believe I have the good will
of all the officers from Gen Jackson
down. My own men is all very
good to me they will do eny thing
for me I have not an inimy as I know
of in the company, not So in Cherokee [5]
as I have bin lide about very much
all will come rite & the rite will be
Sustained the yong man that was
Supposed to be murdered has bin recovered
alive was stolen from the bushwhakers
by a union man & brought in to his
home to day this must be grate Satisfaction
to his father who thought he was kild
father you will git tired of reading this
long leter
green woods boy had beter come to
camps the first chance he can come
by Rockey Point & to Knoxville or Straw
bery Planes & then on the Railroad
to this place
Father write to me give me all the
news Direct your leters to
Carters Depot Tenn
Walkers Batt
Father give my respects to the friends
& reserve a portion for yourself
S. Whitaker