Civil War Letters

Letter 1

Camp near Brownsville, Miss. Jan the 4, 1864

Dear Wife, I seat my self this morning to drop you A few lines to let you no how I am getting A long. This leaves me well an doing tolerable well I do hope when these few lines come to hands they ma find you all well and doing well. The health of this Redg is tolerable good at this time HELB GAINES is sick at this time but is better now. I think it was cold what was the matter with him he is up and a bout. I believe that is all the sickness that is in the redg that I no of at this time. Well EMILY I have no nuse to write to you that will interrest you we have rain A plenty hear it is a raining at this time though it is A warm rain. I can tell you the last day of December we had rain and the first day of Jan we had snow. I was on comisary detail on that day. I thought it was the coldes day i ever saw in my life. My shoes frose to my sturps but I did not suffer as much as you would think for in the morning I new that I would have to go and I put two pair of socks on my feet and I tell you that it help a great deal. The weather has bin warm hear all of the tine but A few days A while back we had three or four days of cold till the first day of Jan then we had two days that was vary cold. It is vary changeable hear. We have bin getting A plenty to eat hear all of the time but we got out of something to eat two days. It went tolerable hard. We have not bin getting as much pork as we did get A while back. I think it may play out after A while. EMILY I want you to write to me all of the nuse that is in your knowledg and let me no what you in tend to do and if you have got your arrangements made to go home and tell me wheather you have heard from them hogs that was at andersons or not. If you can go home and be satisfied I think it would be the best thing that you could do that is if you could get things to your notion and if you can I want to no. The last time I heard from you you was A trying to make arrangements to go home. I will ad vise you to get A horse or A mule as soon as posible. I rote to BOALDEN and tole him to try an get you one but I can not tell wheather he will or not he has the best chance. You had better see him an talk to him A bout it your self and then let me no wheather he will or not. I want you to send me A pair of pants by the first chance. Cotton pants. BILL COOPER said that he would bring them. My cas anet pants is A bout gone up. I have never had my geanes pants on yet. I want the cotton pants to put on if I should get wet. THOMAS will get A detale to come home I think when ever BILL gets back but he ma sell it to some of the boys that has ben from home A good while. Well EMILY christmas is over hear now and I am glad of it. I never was in all of my life as tired of A chrismas as I was of this. It seems that the devil was A loos in this portion of the country. They have in stady of praying Balls and frolicks of all kinds and men that has familys at homes and be long to the church are at tending those places. It is disgusting to think how they are going on but I shall not call no names for it will do no god but I wish there wifves new how they was a going on. I could not think of acting in the way they are. Some of them has fine wimmon for they wives. It would all most brak there harts to no how there hus bands is goin on hear with the ladys. I am tole that there is some of them that is willing to mary a soldier for six month or during the war and some of them are willing to marry any period of time that the soldier will say if it is only three week or one week or one day. I do not know what this conferracry will come to. It was wickedness that brought this cruel war on use and I think it can not close till there is more religion but it seems to me that there is no religion in the country now. We though that the federals when they wer in there was they was the wickedes men in the wourld but I can say that they is no wickeder than our men. It is A continuel sin all the time. Men that it dus seem to me that aught to pray for there familys that is at hime is just turn loose. It dus seem to me that they aught to pray for the protection of there familys do not seem to have the care that they aught to have for them. Well I have give you all of the nuse that I have at present. I am in hopes that there is no such going on up there a bout Christmastine as has bin hear. Well I believe I will close my dis interresting letter by asking you to write to me and give me all of the nuse you have. So fare you well till we meet a gain and if we never meet on earth ma we meet in heaven. So noting more at present I remain your husband till death. C. D. S. HOLLOWELL. To Mrs. S. E. HOLLOWELL.

Jan the 5. Well EMILY it was A raining so yesterday that I had to close so as I have a chance I thought I would write and let you no that I am well. I have no nuse to write. There was A fight in Capt. BLACKWELL compana to day but I think it was whiskey that was a fighting so nothing at present. I remain your husban till death. C. D. S. HOLLOWELL.

Letter 2

Camp near Chattanooga, Tenn. July the 20th 1863,

Mrs. S. E. HOLLOWELL Dear Sister. I now seat Myself to fulfill my Promis hoping you will Pardon Me for my negligence you knowing my chance has bin a bad one but I will try and do better in the future these lines leaves me well And hope if they be fortunate enough to reach your hand they may find you and family the same. Sister EMILY I hardly kno how to write these discouraging times when I having written so many letter and Received no Answer to them I have written to CALVIN and EDWIN time and again but have not received so much as a scratch of a pen from CALVIN I have received one letter from EDWIN since I left home Tel CALVIN that an old Sittersin from Tipper will carry this letter he says he is going to carry the mail backwards and forwards once a month tel him to try right hard And see if he cannot Write Me one Letter tel him I know It is something that he has never dun in his life but I think he could do It if he was to try right hard the old Sittersen name is RENO he _______ Marshall Co. lived and worked with JOHN BODY he charges 50 cts for letters he saye he will carry the letters there and bring the mail back before he receives Pay I am willing to Pay $1.00 a Piece rather than miss I would Pay 50 cts. any time to here from My Relatives or friends no Person has no idea the pleasure that It affords a solger whats cut off from contact with Parents and friends to get a letter from any one of them only those that has tride it I received a Letter from BIL WATKINS to day he is well and sorter like myself in low spirits if the Infurnul thieves had not over run My home and It was only so that I could here from home I could stand it a great deal better You all will have to do the best you can I hope It will not always be so the fall of Vixberg has _____ing _____ I received a Letter from ______ he is well and campt 12 miles north east from town he says he started one to his Ma the same day which was the 15th I roat a letter to Ma dated the 17th and expected to send it off before now but RENO failed to come back to the Regt until to day _______ Ma Im well I hope you will look over all mistakes and excuse bad wrighting I have nothing at all to right on but a nuse Paper give My love to all of the Girls and tel them I think they might right a poor solger a Letter tel them they need not Marry all of the old Widowers we aboys donot all expect to get killed And I will guarantee that nun will be willin to keep Bachelors Hall give my love to JIMMY and ask him if the Yankees got JERRY ______ I ______ will now bring ______ remarks and has by requesting you to be sure to write. Your ____ A. L. HOLLOWELL. P. S. Ask Miss TENNIE when will her weding come off tel her that I herd she was engaged to be married to ____________ ask her is she marrying ______ I hope she will make a good choice and get one that will make her a good Husban for _____ other is worthy of her tel her I would like to be at her wedding. Good by for the present. A. L. HOLLOWELL.