In response to a past post, below is a transcript of a letter from Alabama published in an Iowa paper on 11/4/1863. Wolf Creek, St. Clair County, Alabama is about 25 miles East of Birmingham towards Talladega. Jim Martin, please forgive the double posting.

THE BURLINGTON HAWK-EYE
Burlington, Iowa November 4, 1863
LETTER FOUND ON THE PERSON OF A DEAD REBEL SOLDIER
The following letter was found on the person of a dead rebel soldier, who fell in the battle of Bristoe Station, Va., fought some days ago. The letter is from the brother of the unfortunate man, whose death, with that of so many thousands of others, is due to the wicked ambitions of the few bad men who have precipitated upon the country all the horrors of civil war. To what extent the ravages of war are felt throughout the South, the foregoing letter, written in confidence and intended for the perusal of a brother, only bears mute but elegant testimony:

THE LETTER
Wolf Creek, St. Clair County, Alabama
Sept. 23, 1863

Dear Brother:
I embrace this opportunity of writing a few lines to inform you that we are not all well. Everyone of my family has had the measles; the last one has just got up so he can walk about. I have done scarcely any work in five weeks. I am very weak, not able to do a day's work. I came home from Blount County with the measles on me, and I have had a very hard time of it. I hope this few lines will find you in good health. I received your very kind letter dated Aug. 10th, which gave us great satisfaction to hear from you once more, for your letter was so long coming that we had become uneasy for fear you had got killed when you went up to Gettysburg.

Times have got very hard here. I do not believe half of the people in this section of country have any meat to eat. Meat here is selling at $2.50 per pound, and scarcely any in the country to spare; and when it is to spare, the people do not want to take Confederate money for it. They look on the Confederacy as about conquered, and when it is conquered, the money will be dead. Some people are offering $10 per bushel for wheat, and they suppose corn will sell for $2.50 per bushel in the heap, and some say it will bring $3.00 per bushel soon; and , considering such high prices, how can we expect the women and children to be fed who are dependant on their husbands' wages to feed them? And many of them have lost their husbands in the war. What such families are to do I can't tell, and the Confederate money is worth only one dollar in ten.

The privates get eleven dollars per month, and that is worth little over one dollar in specie. Men who would fight for such a government as this surely have not got good sense. The men are deserting and coming home by scores, and I do not think they are to blame, although there is about a company of men to every beat, hunting deserters and robbers; but I believe they come in faster than they take them out, There have been several men killed by the deserters, and some of the deserters have been shot. I am afraid that if the war holds on our country will be ruined by the men at home.

Some time ago there was many of our men came from Vicksburg with their paroles. I suppose the Yankees took about forty thousand of our men there besides what they took at other places. And the word came last Saturday that they were exchanged, but the most of them do not believe it. Some of them have gone, and some say they won't go without they are taken. I do not know what will be done. I do not believe they are exchanged myself. I believe our big men are fooling them, and if I were them and they fooled me once, and I found it out, I would never do them any more good if I could keep from it. I do think there is enough of our men killed and died in this war, and if we can't whip the Yankees we had better give up, and let the war stop.

I think my boys have made enough to do the family. But our Congress has passed a law that each one has to give a tenth of what is made. I think this is a very unjust law, where the men are in the war and have no one to make a support but their children. I do not think they should pay anything but their common tax. The poor men have nearly all the fighting to do, and I think the rich men should support the war. I hope the war may end soon. I can't tell what we will do for salt, and the Government is pressing all the cattle, so that we will soon have nothing to eat but bread. I want you to write regular to me. So I remain your affectionate brother until death.