University of Virginia Library

1864-03-01

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