September Brown
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Croleye Ridge, Arkansas --- April 19, 1863
Dear Wife and connection all,
I seat myself this pleasant Sabath evening under a large sugar tree on Sugar Creek, fifteen miles below Bolivar, to write you a few lines to let you know that I am in good health and I hope by the Grace of God that these lines will find you all enjoying the same blessing. A soldiers life is a very hard life thou we have a plenty of meet and bred to eat and sometimes go to houses and get something else, yet nothing satifies my appetite like being at my own table though had but bread and water, the mind is satisfied. Though I am getting along much better than I expected. Dear Wife, I recieved your good letter of the 9th and was glad to hear that you and our blest children was all well, but sorry to hear that father Reynolds had been unwell and that you was getting along rather slowly with the crop. Dear wife I want you to encourage the boys all you can to work good and mind their grandpap like good boys. Boys I want you to be good children and learn your books all the idle time you have for the Lord only knows whether I ever shall see you anymore or not, but if I never do see you anymore in life, I want you to be good boys to your mother and try to learn to read well and remember what I have often told you. That them that does rite all ways feels rite.
Mother try to raise them up in fear and admonition of the Lord. In all my leasure hours my mind is on you and I remember you in all my prayers and I want you to do the same for me. I have had the pleasure of hearing five or six very good sermons preached since I left home. We have a chaplin appointed for this regiment. We will have preaching once or twice a week when we are not moving about too much.
I will now give you the news, what little I have. Doctor Johnson and Israel Milligin went to Little Rock about the first of this month. And I wrote a few lines to the Woods boys and they sent me a few lines back in answer to mine. John wrote that he was well and hearty but that Carrol was very puny tho he was able to be in camp. Their letter was wrote the 6th of this month, they expected to move from there before long then we moved from Augusta to Pineville and stayed there five days and then moved up the Ridge twelve miles where we now are but in the meanwhile as we were moving from camp Augusta to Pineville there came a dispatch that the Feds went up the St. Francis River with four or five transports. Colonel Dobene sent scouts on ahead and we was ferrying across the Bayou the Scouts returned and said the Feds was in seven miles of us. I was with the waggons and in the mud and water to my nees the order were given for all that had guns to draw. We travelled about ten miles and then we struck camp for the night and when we was getting feed for our horses, the alarm was rased that the Feds was rite on us. We throwed the corn in every direction and dashed to our horses, sadled them in double quick, mounted and into line our Captain took a few men and rode out to see how far off they was. He was not gone long til he came back with a company of our own men and a negro had saw them and took them to be fed. So we all felt a little better next morning. We went on about twelve miles and came to where they had camped and there learned that they had all gone back down the river.
Wednesday morning, April 22th
Dear Friends,
I this morning take my seat to finish my letter. First of all I will inform you that I got leave of absence yesterday morning to go up the Ridge to Bolivar to visit my conection there and when I got up there I found but few of them living there. I found Old Aunt Sarah and Annis and Dulana there and three of her daughter in laws to wit, Williams wife, Westly's wife and Jasper's wife. Aunt Sarah has only six children living. George died in the army at Nashville. Powell also, Annis second husband died there. Jasper was killed at Corrinth. Logan was wounded at Free-brough, but is getting well. Charles and Cary, Delan's husband is at Fort Hudson. William and Westly is at Little Rock. Richmon died at home. Aaron and John is living in the Praray. John has lost his wife, has three children. Aaron is doing very well. They have not heard from Tennessee in about two years. John Usry moved to Texas. Him and Philip is at Little Rock in the Army. Richard and David moved to Texas. James and Frank and Hawkins their stepfather moved to Ouichita. James got into a difficuly and got shot ded about four years ago. Old aunt Soffie, Chariola and John D's widow is still living in Tennessee. Enough on that subject. We have about 1,000 men in this command. Doboene is our Colonel, Chrisman Loutenant Colonel. We have a very good set of officers. They are very easy with their men. So far we are expecting the Federals up here every day. We sent out a scout of twenty men yesterday, dressed in federal clothes to try the negroes in this country and they brought in about sixty negres last night. They was properly deceived. I heard some of them talk with the Colonel. They wanted their masters or mistresses robbed. Some of them wanted them murdered. Others did not want them to take their lives but take their property and money and put them in the penatentery. There has gone out about forty scouts today on the same bizness. They have sent home some of the young negroes today and talk of sending the rest of them to Little Rock in a few days. I think the negro question here is about gone up the spout. If the negroes all over the South is like they are here they had about as well give them all up and let them go free. I want you to send this letter to father and to brother T.W. Smith. Woody, I want you to write to me every chance. George Green will pass once a month as long as we stay as near as we now are. Show this to all inquiring friends, tell them all to wright to me. Would be glad to get a letter from anyone of you. A letter from home or anywhere else would cure me. So wright one wright all. And if any of you can be of any advantage to my family there and I live to get home I will more than recompence you for your trouble. So I must come to a close. I will just say to you that I am head of our mess. We have ten in our mess. Doctor Johnson, Dred Mathews, Meat Hardin Israel Milligan, William Vance, John Bandagrift, Daniel Pucket, W. F. McGee, and B. Mobly. We all get along very well. Two gets breakfast, two gets dinner, and two supper and the balance keeps wood and water.
No more, bur remne, Yours affectionately until Deth, Ira J. Smith