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Description Writes about difficulty communicating. Following a visit to Richmond in November, he reports that the markets are well-supplied. He had expected to return to Missionary Ridge, but found the Army had fallen back to Dalton, Georgia. Prices of rations are given. He expresses a spirit of great determination. Requests that he be sent material for a coat, vest, and pants, and new boots.

                                                     Dalton, Ga.
                                                     Jany19th 1864

Dear Mother

       Your letter of the 13th November

with postscript from Pa has just been received, through the kindness of Miss Tillie L., and fortunately an opportunity offers of answering it at once. You have no idea how much pleasure it gave me to hear directly from you. I believe this is the first letter you have ever written me, and coming as it did from the enemy's country and after so long a seperation, it was more than doubly welcome.

       I have written to Pa quite frequently

in the past two months, and hope that at least a portion of my letters have been received but the communication is so uncertain, that I can hardly hope that all have reached him. The letters that we feel surest of going through safely are perhaps the very ones which miscarry and some which I had hardly the slightest idea would pass, have reached their destination.

       I wrote to Pa about two weeks ago by an

old acquaintance who was going direct to [M?] and think in all probability it will reach

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him. It is the last letter I have written him, and in it I asked you please to send me some things which would add greatly to my comfort, and which I will mention again in this for fear the other should be lost but before I commence begging I must must tell you something about myself, & Katy and Betty. I returned to this place on the 30th of Nov. from a visit to Richmond, I had obtained a leave of twenty days to go from Missionary Ridge to Marion and carry Bettie to Richmond; went to Marion, found Bettie had left a few days before, spent the night at Mr. E's house, where I was treated very kindly by him & Mrs. E. and started for Richmond and got there in time to spend a week. I found Katy, Mr. B, - Betty & all, well, with the exception of little Georgie, who had been sick from a bad cold, but recovered before I left. Katy has another baby, a fine hearty child who she calls Annie, but I suppose you have heard of her before this. I found the markets will supplied in Richmond, and lived highly while I stayed there. Old Mrs. B. seemed to think nothing was too good for me, and consulted my taste in everything. Prices are extravagantly high but you can buy anything you want if you have plenty of money. Mr. B. says he manages to keep along with the times, and by avoiding useless expenditures, manages to live very comfortable.

         I returned expecting to go back to Missionary Ridge

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but found the Army had fallen back, & that Hd.Qr. were at this place. We are very comfortably situated at present, and hope to remain so during cold weather.

         I am in {A.A.?] Genl's Office Army of Tenn. where

I have been since the first of last June, have plenty of work to do, and find that time passes much more rapidly than it did when I was in the field.

          There are eleven in our mess, we buy our rations 

from the commissary the same as officers, and have a man detailed to cook for us, we also have a negro to cut wood, make fires [re?] our pay just about covers our mess account, leaving us nothing for clothing or contingent expenses. The pay we receive is $3. per day besides our soldiers pay of $11. per month which is in lieu of all allowances. We pay for bacon, or lard $2.20 per pound. for beef .80 for sugar $1.50. for washing .50 a piece [re?] a box of blacking costs $4. & a pair of boots $250. so you see we can't buy many extras. But we all get along cheerfully, hoping for a better day to come. and determined so long as life is granted us, never to submit to the rule of our accursed oppressors. I frequently see northern papers, and from their tone find that everyone north is liable to be led to believe that we are faint hearted & discouraged, but no one north knows the settled determined spirit of our troops. They may crush, but they will never conquer us.

        But I forget myself, I did not intend to mention

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political subjects, and will drop them.

        I have heard of you and Pa frequently through one

young lady friend, Miss E. she has been very kind and thoughtful towards me since I have been in the Army, and I feel very grateful for her kindness, she hardly ever writes to her brothers without sending me the latest news she has from you, and sometimes favours me with a long letter giving all the news she thinks would be of interest to me. I thought through her you might send the things I wrote for in my last & will repeat the list for fear my last should not be received. I wished if you would do so that you would buy me enough all wool grey cloth to make me a coat, vest, & pants, with the lining, thread, buttons and everything for making & triming the same. The only triming I would want would be enough Buff cloth to cord the coat, vest, & pants. I have plenty of good warm underclothing but my outer suit is worn ragged, and I have found from experiance in the Army as elsewhere that a person dressed genteelly fares much better and is much more respected than one who is not so. The suit which Bettie brought me wore very badly, the pants are out at the seat, and the jacket not long enough to cover it. I also need a pair of boots. No. 6 -, not large cavalry boots, but double-sided, soft uppers for wear in the office and a hat, size 7 1/4. I am afraid you will think I want a great many things, but these I stand actually in need of, and cannot pay for them at

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