1863-10-02Camp near Knoxville, Tenn.
Camp near Knoxville, Tenn

Oct 2nd 1863

Dear Parents

Your most welcome letter of the 9th Sept came to hand in due time. I was glad to hear from you but sorry to hear that you had not rec'd any letters from me for I have written letters that should have reached you before either the book or the record I sent. I sent you $15.00 that ought to have reached you before the 9th of Sept. I hope it will come out safe. When I hear from that I will send $10.00 more but if that does not get through I shall hardly dare send any more from here at present for our mails are liable to be captured and I don't want the Rebels to get my money. It is reported that our mail was captured while on its way here but I hardly think it true. The Rebels are trying to drive us back over the mountains but I hardly think they will accomplish this object. There was a hard battle fought near Chattanooga a few days ago between Rosecrans and the combined forces of Bragg, Johnson and Lee. The Rebels were too much for Rose at first but he fell back into his entrechments and gave them a flouncing, killing and wounding 5000 and capturing 12,000 prisoners. The report is that Genl. Buckner was killed in a fight the other day about 20 miles from here. It is said he had 20,000 troops moving toward this place but I guess they will find a hard road to travel before they reach here. There will undoubtedly be a hard battle somewhere between this and Richmond, Va. before many weeks at the farthest. We have the railroad cut off running to the Rebel Capitol and if Charleston is taken the communication from North Carolina to Virginia is cut off so there is another division in the Confederacy, unless they can break our lines they are ever doomed to meet the fate they have so long merited, dishonor, disgrace and death. The sooner it comes the better. The Tennesseans are rally nobly to the standard of freedom. They are enlisting by the whole Companies in a place. The general opinion among the inhabitants here is that the Rebellion is soon to perish. They are all anxiously looking forward to the time when peace will again be restored to the land. The people of the North know nothing of the war compared to the people of Tennessee, but I guess I will stop writing for the present. I supposed the mail would go out tonight but it does not go until Sunday night so I will wait till then and maybe I will have something else to write.