September 7, 1862. I wrote to Ma & Winston.

 

]Rebecca] September 7, 1862. A quiet lovely morng. – I finish and send off a letter to Davis. Read 2 sermans of Dr Huntington. In the afternoon read Sermons to the boys and take a short walk before tea. A beautiful night!

 

[Octavia Stephens to Winston Stephens]

                                                                                                Rose Cottage  Sept 7, 1862

My dear Husband

                I was agreeably surprised to hear from you so soon by Mr Hyas, but it was sad news indeed that you wrote me, so we will never see our poor "Toady" again in this world, and what a sudden death.  I can scarcely realize that it is so, he was a good boy.  I hope he has gone to a better world.  Poor Ma, I fear it will be very hard for her to bear, her health has been so feeble, & her constant anxiety about her sons that are in the service.  I am glad Mary was going to her so soon, and hope her being there with the little baby will serve to direct Ma's thoughts some that her grief may not take too great a hold on her.  I shall write Ma a few lines to day, although I do not feel competent to write such a one as I would like, but I feel as though I ought to send her my sympathy, I wrote to her last week.  Tina intended writing & will now of course do so, ‑ I will send mine with her's.  I suppose you have written to her.  I hope in your next letter you will tell me more particularly about the accident, who was with "Toady," how long ago it was, and what part of the body he was shot.  I suppose he was buried by his Father.  I hope Mary will make Ma a long visit, but I fear not as I suppose Jessup can not be away from home long, perhaps two weeks.

                Mother, Rosa & I spent yesterday at Tina's, they were all well there, Clark took a long hunt in the morning but saw nothing, he starts tomorrow I think to go to Hawkinsville after some syrup. I think only for his family, he has dug some of his ground nuts & says they are turning out very well, when I get yours & dry them, shall I just cover them up in a barrel in the smoke house? or must any thing particular be done to them.

                I have heard since Mr Smith left that he was going to Tallahassee, although he said he would be back Saturday night, so I don’t know when to look for him with a letter from you, I shall expect one a letter to morrow by mail.

                The corn is all gathered in and we have not near as much as we had last year, Burrel says he got 17 loads from the field here at the house, that you can judge how much the wagon holds, & not quite two from the "little field" & a small quantity of very small pumpkins & kushaws, some as large as your fist very few ripe.  we have three pumpkins cooking for our dinner to day, & fear that will not be enough, they are about the size of cocoanuts.  I think if we dont do better another year we had better give up.

                I am very anxious to hear what you have to say about the Simmons place. Tina said the other day that she would not be surprised if Clark would buy the land from you it you got the bargain. I hope you will & feel quite certain that you will, if you have not bought the spinning wheel & cards you had better wait for Simmons has both which Clark thinks is counted in with the house furniture. Mr S- said he would be ready he thought in a week & a half for him. shall I then send Tom for him? And is Clark to take charge?  I do wish you could be here & attend to it yourself. I must say I have not much confidence in Clarks ability, & I feel & have felt all along as though things would go wrong before the end. In mentioning our misfortunes in the crop I forgot the cotton, the catepillars are ruining it.  Burrel says they have stripped leaves & blooms, that it looks as though it had three frosts on it.

                Burrel suffered terribly with his tooth after you left, & went to Dr Currel to get it out, but as he had nothing but our old pullers could not get it out, but I have succeeded at last in stopping it, the Dr says we owe him four dollars.  I thought I would send it when any one from here was going that way.

                Rosa is not well to day.  she was so restless last night that she kept me awake a great part of the night & I think she was a little feverish when she got up, but seemed quite bright after breakfast, but wanted to "go bye" very early.

                Mother heard from Davis this week, he said he hoped to see you at Jacksonville before very long, he wrote us of Mrs Mitchels death, she died about the time appointed for her marriage with Dr Baldwin, perhaps you have heard of it.

                I shall write to you by Mr Hyas on Wednesday, but suppose you will get it as soon as this, when you were away before you said I must write every mail, & by every private opportunity and as that order has not been countermanded I still obey.

                I am anxious to hear how the affairs about the regiment come on, I am so much afraid you are going to get yourself into trouble. You were just a little ahead of Capt. Chambers in having Mr Gardner arrested, I heard.

                I hear that Mr Dean is to carry our mail the rest of the year, or a year, I am glad of that for we were fearing trouble about it.  Henry was talking strongly of taking it, was going to see Mr Smith about it, he says he wants to make some money.  I hear that the Milton is to run from here to Jacksonville & up Dunns Creek to carry supplies for Capt Chambers' company, & that they are getting the St Marys up to make a gunboat of her.  Are they fortifying the river below Jacksonville?  I hope there is no prospect of your being removed.  I would not be surprised to hear that you had changed camps with Capt Dunham.

                I guess I will stop now and write to our poor Ma.  I hope I shall have a letter from you before Mr Hyas goes back.

                                                                                                Ever affectionately

                                                                                                Yr Wife

P.S. Mother sends love & says if Mr Burritt has returned please see him and find out all you can from him. I suppose of course she means about Father. Good bye.

                                                                                                Your own Wife

 

 

[Willie Bryant to Rebecca Bryant]

                                                                                                Camp near Sparta, Tenn

                                                                                                Sunday p.m. Sept 7, 1862

My dear Mother,

                I wrote you a few days ago from Dunlap, since then we have come thro' the Sequatchie valley & crossed the Cumberland ridge. 

                Before I go further let me say that I have just learnd. that an oppt'y offers to send letters back to-night & I have but a short time before dark to write you in, & I wd. like also to write Davis & Miss Rebecca a few lines, therefore must be brief.

                Our march thus far has been a forced one, sometimes traveling 17 miles pr day, & of the most trying nature, owing to the nature of the country & the scarity of water; we are invariably aroused at 3 o,clk in the morng. to start, & keep going till after dark, & every 2d or 3d night are obliged to be up late cooking rations ahead; the regmt. rested 2 days at Dunlap, I wrote you, here we rest & to cook 3 days rations from 10 o,clk this a.m. till tomorrow a.m; It was the intention for our army to attack Buell at McMinnville, where he had fortified himself, & then to follow him in retreat to Nashville, but he evacuated McM before we could get there & retreated to Nashville & we are now informed that Nashville will soon be evacuated also, Therefore our army is now destined for Kentucky, & I think it is supposed that by a certain arrangement of the confederate forces that the Federals will be unable to concentrate theirs into a large army again; I am sorry for this change of plan for I dislike the longer march into Kentucky & wished very much to see Nashville; our point of destination is undoubtedly Louisville now.

                My sprained arm has proved to be of a more severe nature than I at first supposed & consequently more of a blessing for my knapsack is still carried; I cannot yet stretch out my arm, & until it is quite well I shall make it an excuse for not carrying my load; I am otherwise in good trim, accustomed to walking & my feet are now hardened; yesterday I was obliged to knock under for awhile, however, as I had become weakened from diarrhoea caused by drinking some cider & eating fruit, & from bad water & the scarity of it, I had some fever also, but stopped at a house till the cool of the evening, when the kind lady offered me some food & I eat some corn bread, milk & honey & came on to camp, then took some medicine & went to bed & this morng. woke up all right & marched 8 miles by 1/2 p 6 when I stopped at a house till 9 & got some breakfast.  The worst of our trip is over, we are now over the mountains, in a good country & where water is more plenty, & will not be so hurried.

                East Tenn is booked in my memory as the most abominable section of country I have known; The hardships we have endured passing thro' have increased my dislike, but the people are a lazy, ignorant, overreaching & cold hearted set; when they would sell us any thing it was at the most exorbitant prices, & old & young would combine to cheat us & take advantage of our situation, they wd. not only charge 10 & 15 c pr doz for peaches & apples rotting on the ground, & 50 c pr qt or 10 c for a little cupfull of cider, but actually wd. sit on the fence with little loaves of corn bread no bigger than "your" two fists to sell for 50 c & $1 each; my feet were horribly scalded by my wool socks, a very smiling & benign looking dame "to oblige me," let me have a pr of their cotton ones, of the cheapest sort & which I have sold many of at 10 c & a bit, for the moderate sum of one dollar, this is the 3d. day I have worn them & they are all holes already; I got a better to‑day from a fellow soldier for 50 c which I shall carry for a similar necessity.

                But thank Heaven we are now in a fine country & where the people are glad to welcome us, & kind, & if I would happen to become at all sick I would not hesitate to stop ‑

                This whole section of country is beautiful & grand, & very fertile, & tho' at a heavy cost I am glad that I have been able to see it –

                Well! I must wind up again for an indefinite time – Our letters have been forwd. & one from Miss R- at Aiken reached me 2 days ago. At intervals of 2 weeks, or more, write me, for the present at Chattanooga, directing 3d. Regt. Fla Vols., 1^st Brigde., 2d. Div. Bye the way! An officer in the Co (G) I was in was introduced to cousin Frankie in Savannah & told her of me; I think she was returning – I think of nothing of importance to add & will close this to write D-

                I hope & pray  that you are all well & may continue so ‑ I   am sure I feel a sense of gratitude for my being so blessed in health ‑ Oceans of love to you all, you know, from

                                                                                                Willie