Wauhatchie Tenn
Nov the 24 /63
My Dear Wife
I again seit myself to answer you kind letter of the 7th and 14th. I was verry glad to hear from you and that you are all well. I wrote a letter a weak ago to day and told you that I was sick with the piles. I have had them verry bad but I am some better now. I say some better I am a good deal better. You stated in your letter that you was afraid I never would read it. I knew you would have a good deal of troubel. I dont see why you dident get your letter when Batchers got theirs. I wrote one to you to. I knew Jims folks would feele bad when they heard about Jim. I often wonder how one of us came out alive. You wanted to know if I wasent sceard. Not in the least. Generl Greene came to our tent and woke us. He told us the enemy was close on us. I packed up my things as coole as could be but Jim seamed to be excited that knight. He was quite down spirited the day we marched in there. Poor fellow. I am sorry it hapened so. I miss him verry mouch but meney a noble man has fell in this cruel war. Our regt suferd severily in the last fight but we held our position. We had 60 rounds. We fired them and most all the pioners catrages and if the rebs hadent fell back we would charged on them and used the cold steele. I would like to see the papers and see what they say about the fight. Our regt has got a big name here. If it hadent ben for bravery the rebs would gained the battle. Our regt is gone on a reconnaisance to day. We went early this morning. I went untill we got at the foot of Lookout Mountain. The doctor sent me back to camp. The whole division has gone and the eleventh corps. They are charging up the mountain. There was heavey musketry and canonadeing for a while but all is still now. I think there will be a generl engagement before it is over. Hooker will draw them on his side and Sherman and Thomas work at them somewhere else. I wanted to go with the boys and did go as far as I could but the doctor thought I had better go to camp and I guess it was best. The boys took their blankets haversacks and one days rations. I would like to be with them. I dont want to turne my back to our true old baner. I suppose the rebs will fall back to Atlanta. Sherman had quite a fight yesterday and took quite a number of prisoners. Bragg will get handled rough in my opinion. Good buy for to day.
I dont see how you take care of the baby. He is so big and heavey. He is a verry huge child of his age. I would like to see you and the children verry much.
Wensday the 25
Dear Charlotte
I will try and write a little more to day. Our regt was in the advance yesterday and have suferd some again. Our brigade charged on the rebs and drove them. Took upwards of 1500 prisoners. I dont know how meney was killed and wounded of them. Our regt lost as near as I can find out betweene 15 and 20. There was 4 wounded in our compeny Daniel Cline Wm Jesles(?) Osker Runels and Mason. They think Mason cant live. Lieutenant Owen in Co A was killed and some 4 or 5 others. Col Ireland was wounded in the thumb or hand. I heard his thumb was shot off. You will see a list of it. There is so meney stories I cant get the trouth yet. They are fighting on the other side of the hill to day. You will hear tell of a hard battle here before it is over. I escaped the fight yesterday by being sick. I dont feele rardly right about it but I couldent cept up in the charge up the mountain on doubel quick. The rebs dident fight verry hard. A good meney never fired their gun but stuck up their hanichief and sead dont fir. If we had ben up there we could cept back the whole of Brags army. Good buy.
I will send this out this afternoone if I can.