| | 41 | Author: | Booker, John, 1840-1864 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Letter to Chloe Unity Blair [a machine-readable transcription]  | | | | Published: | 1997 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Text collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Bookerletters | | | | Description: | I take this opportunity of responden to your most kind an
interresten letter of the 10th of last month which was so long coming to hand I had be gon to think that you had given out writen to me any more. or
had written an I had failed to get your letter. tho I serpose
your letter wer on the road longer than it ort to have bin, I wish I
had some good news to write you. but have nothen of interest to write. I believe the helth of the soldiers here are
very good
tho they all seem to be lo
sperited. They think the time is draw- en
ny when they will be cald
erpon
a gain to meet thare
ine myes on the field a
gain. an to think that thare is no relief for them but that they have got to still remain
in the
field, they have bin
try en to get the men to reinlist for the war an thare have
beena great meney of the men reinlisted The
Govenour[2] came
out the other day an made us a speech an tride to get the men to reinlist for the war, an when he had
quit speeken the Colonel had us all in line an then had the Cullars
cared to the front andthen
told all the men that he wanted all who wer
determen to be freemen to step out on the
line with the cullars
andall who wer
willen to be slaves for thare
enemyes to stand fast anI
wreaken
thare wer a bout one third of the men went
on line with the
cullars
andthe rest stood fast,
I dideant inten to reinlist nor I
wes not willen to be a Slave for my enemyes
and I
dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I dideant wish to
bee in eather line. Colonel
Cabel
[3]
new very well that
thare wer
nun of the men that thort
thot any thing of
them selves ar thare Country that wer willen to becom Slaves for
thare
enemyes. The colonel thot by telen the men what he did he would get all the men to
come on line with the Cullars
an be considered reinlisted. but he faild to get
them, tho thare have a great meny of them reinlisted
sence the officers thinks if we will reinlist it will have a bad er fect on the yankees. tho they have
past a bill to hold us in service andI dont no what good it
will dood for us to reinlist I am of the opinion that
if we wer to reinlist
it would have a bad effect on our leaden
men,[4]
it looks like our leaden
men thinks wee are willen to stay an fight all the time andnever
get tiered, an I beleave that as long as we will stay here anexpress a willinness
to stay here our leaden men will ceep the war up, I be leave that we mout have hud
piece
be fore this time if our head leaden men would would have tride,
when the enemy offered to make a complemise our men wount
here too it, so I am not in favor of reinlisten
tho all that want to doo so
I am wilin, I can bee
just as good a soldier without reinlisten as I
can with it. far I be leave
that we will all have to serve
any way without we desert and
that I never want to doo as long as they will treat
me like illeg. officers orte to
treat men, tho they are fitten a very good way now to make men wars
stil
dissatisfide than they are now. by given
the reinlisted men furlows first. I am due a furlow
now andcome next for one in our company by rights
but because I did not reinlis I get cut out of
furlough. anthey are due me a furlow for reinlis in sixty too, for thirty days
which I have never got, I refused to rein list this time an all of
our company did exsept two an they are both recrutes which is in
for twelve months longer any way, one of them
ha never bin in ranks
sence he be long to the
company he has bin acten as comimasary all the time an the
other one deserted the first time we went in to
Mary land
summer be fore last be
fore the serrende of
harpers farry
an stade at home a bout
fifteen months at home. and then came an joind the scitry
Betalion in Richmond an got
a fur low an went home
an wer er rested an Broat
Back to our company, this man now
reinlist thinken it would make his
cart marcial go a little lite er with him, gets a furlow an goes home be fore I doo that have bin here an
dun my duty all the time as a soldier art
to have dun doo you think thare is any justice in such a way doo en,
as tha I tel you thare is no justice in it, I went
up an give the
Col a talkin a
bout it last nigtn, and if he dont give me a fur lough be
fore he des this deserter I wil
bee very much
er temp er
to tel him what I think of him an take a discharge, I be
leave in the for thing al
ways if they wir not given no fur lows I could stay here
an nor think hard of it but when they a are given
furl
an it comes to my time I want it,
I will stop this chat for I wreaken you had
rather here som then elce that is more interrestin
Thare have bin a good eal of exsite ment here
to day
a bout the yankees makin a rade
below here be teen
Hanover Junction and
Lieueasia CH
and have bin
tar ing the track up
Thare have bin a continuel
canonaden down that way all day to day
an they have sent all of our Brigade from here
exsept our Regt
an a large potion of it is on
Pickett we have orders to be ready to fall in, in
a minute to Prevent ar rade,
Shouldent be serprised if we dont have to leave before day,
you wished to no what they had
don with
Curt Inman[5] he he
wer left at
newbon
I serpose he got
be hand the nigh we left
thare
an wer taken Prisoner
Some of the fifty third said he wer broken down I dident see him that night I saw him a few minutes before we
Started Back,
Memory Inman[6]
wer cart marcialed an his
sintance
wer to doo Po leas duty for his Regt one hour each day for seven days an the Cart said it
wes thus lenient on him on acount of his good conduct
be fore, he havent had to doo any of his duty yet
an I dont reaken he will
have to doo any of it, I hope not
Lin Cary Brown I have never herd any thing from him exsept what I herd from home, he never has come to his company yet, its
all together a mistake about his
comen to his
Regt at
Kinston
if he had of come thare I would have
herd som thing a bout it far we wer all rite
together
Capt.
Jno A. Herndon got a thirty
days furlow to go home to get married I reaken he is going
to take a Miss Beavers,
as my paper is nearly fild I
will have to stop I hope you will not think hard
of this letter for I have bin mad all day an could not write what I wanted to write, I dont exspect
you can read this last page I have wrote it by fire ligh, an thare wer so much fuss I could not rite | | | Similar Items: | Find |
| 42 | Author: | Booker, James, 1840-1923 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Letter to Chloe Unity Blair [a machine-readable transcription] | | | | Published: | 1997 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Text collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Bookerletters | | | | Description: | I write you afew lines This
eavning which will inform you that my self and brother are both well and geting on verry well. and I
much hope this may reach you in due time and find you all in
joying the best of health and all blesings that our kind Protecter sees fit to
bestow apon you all. I have no news of importance
to write. we are having a verry still time now in camp. though
I am fearful that it will not
remain so much longer if wether keeps open. I
think the spring campaign will soon commence.
and then we poor soldiers will see a hard time. though if it is the will of God for us to suffer why should we
complain when we know that he knows what is the best for us and will
do nothing but for the best. I feel thank ful
that I can cheerfully submit to his will If it is
the will of my maker for me to be cut
down in this war I dont ask to be spared for I
beleave that he will do what is the best for
me, thare is but few things that I would ask to
stay in this
trouble some world for,
one great consolation to me is that if I am cut down, I have a hope of
a better time in the
future whare thare is neither worries and troubles
thay was another lot of our prisners got to Richmond yesterday
paroled from northern prisons I havent
hird of any of my acquantance that came through with them infact I havent hird of any
Virginians that came through this time scearsley, I hope that
thay will parole all of them
soon, I have hird that two of our Co. D had taken the Oath of iligeans and joined the yankee
army. thay keep our men
thare in thier prisons and
treat them so badley that thay become so dissatisfied. thay
had almost as
live die
as to stay thare then thay will get them to take the Oath and jian
thier army, though if it is the will of God for the South
to over power the North.
thier swindling will not avail them any thing in the long run, it may make the war continue some longer. though thay will
see that it will do them no good, | | | Similar Items: | Find |
| 43 | Author: | Booker, James, 1840-1923 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Letter to Chloe Unity Blair [a machine-readable transcription] | | | | Published: | 1997 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Text collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Bookerletters | | | | Description: | It is with much pleasure that I embrace the present
oppotunity of responding to your kind and
interesting favor of the 17th
inst which came to hand in due time and
aforded me much pleasure to hear that you
were all well. I and would
have answered it amidiately though we had to
go on picket and I thought that I would wait until we came
bac to camp. and may be I
would have some thing new to write so I
have though it is not verry good if it is true, It is reported that Yankee is coming up the peninula I do
not know wether thay are coming in
force or not. or even wether
thay are coming atal, one of our men
were at a fishery about 20 miles below here yesterday he said that
thay were
expecting the Yankees thare when he left, it
maybe just a squad of cavalry aiming to drive our
men from the fishery. I havent
hird
any thing from thare this
morn ing, I hope the next time I hear
from thare to hear that thay are
all rite again. the 53
regt[1] has
bin down thare fishing for some
time, we have drawn fish one time since thay have bin fishing and I
guess will draw more soon if the Yankees dont
drive our men from the fisherry, some of
our men in camp has bin
cacth catching a good meny
fish lateley with hooks I
have caught
verry few my self, though I
guess it is my own fault be cause
I were two
lazy to fish for them, we are having beautiful
wether now for spring also a verry nice time in camp much nicer than I expected
some time ago. I made sure that we would have to fight
before this time. our army and the Yankee army are geting
verry close
to gather
in Northern Va I dont think that it will be many
days before thay
havewill have a
fight, thay had a small skirmish
yesterday morning with cavalry I beleave it is generally beleaved that the Yankees are going to do thier best for Richmond this campaign I beleave
that this campaign will decide the war hope it may
we have bin
verrysuccesful so
this far this spring and I hope and pray that we may
continue to be succesful this summer and
end this cruel war in our favor, We rec
yours and sisters[2]letters of the 24
inst
sence I comenced
writing verry glad to hear from you all though
verry sorry to hear of Martha[3] being sick much hope she
is well before this time, also
verry sorry to hear Ucle of
Uncle Drurys
sufering
with his caugh I much hope it will not pester him long,
[4]
well I beleave that I have
writen enough for the present so I will
close
hoping to hear from you verry soon
Gave my best respects to Uncle
Drury and the rest of the family also to Jennie and her family and til them all to
write to me as I am allways
anxcious to hear from them, | | | Similar Items: | Find |
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