David S. Morgan, Letter #4

camp cumberlan
March the 29 62

Dear Wife

I seat my self this Saturday eavning to let you no that I am well and and harty I recieved your kind letter last nite dated March the 21 and was glad to hear that you was all well and also one from J W Ellis it is a great Sadisfaction to me to letters from home Now the reason I commence riting this eavning is we have so much to do here it takes 2 or 3 Days to rite a letter when we are not drilling thare is somthing elce to do I thought I would commence and get it rote against monday I cant rite much this eavning for I will have to wash some this eavning Now I would just say we have moved Back on the north side of the cumberlan river we are camped in the river botom on the best farm that is in the county and we have burned all the rails on both sides of the river it is a cecesh farm and he is gon tha say he was killed a few days ago no I cant tell how long we will stay here it is supposed we will stay here some time we wont attact the gap till we get more force it is supposed the rebels will leave the gap thare has several left the gap and come down here and joined our armey one came yesterday and 3 today tha say the mississippi Reg has left the gap and gone home tha say thare is about 3 thousand rebels at the gap that is fit for duty Now Rachel I rote you a letter last tuesday and gave you a history of a campaign that we look up to the gap and how clost the canon balls come to me I also sent you a dollar Bill in it now I hope you will get that letter if you dont get it rite and and let me no Now I have ben down to the River washing my cloths I thought of you once while I was washing I have come back and put on some beaf to cook and BB Decker has made us a table to eat off of we have plenty to eat here we have beans and you no I can make a hand eating them we make supe sometimes it is a little Bad eating it through our mustashes we use guns here in place of razors Now Rachel I rote you a few lines at Barberville as I came up here and sent you 6 stamps I hope you got it Now I am siting out on the wood pile riting and it is getting dark and will soon be roal call I must quit tile morning good nite Rachel I take my pen in hand this holy Sabath morning to finish my letter I am well this morning and hope you are all enjoying the same blesing my health has been better now for some time than it has ben for five years I am nearley as fat as R M Davis and I feel verry thankful to god for his mercies to me Several of our Boys is laid up some our trip up to the gap but it hasent hurt me yet it is a wonder that it hasent laid up more men than what it has Now if you did not get my last letter this will seam awkward to you for I rote in that about us going up to the gap Now Rachel our Second lieutenant Elizah Penic has got something like the consumtion and is talking of going home in a short time and I am going to to send you ten Dollars by him he lives in 4 miles of the french lick when you hear of him getting home you can send and get your money I will a letter by him to you and he can send it from West Baden to you and then you can go after your money Now Rachel you stated in your letter that you would give any thing in the world to have me Back home Well I would like to be at home and it would the gratest Sadisfaction to me in the world to see you and the children I wont to see my old neighbors and class mates but not half like my own famley and I will come home as soon as the war is over this is as soon I can promise you we are in to it now and we must fight our way through I had the blews rite smart wen I was sick but Sence I got well and got with my Reg I pass the time off fine I have an implicit trust in god he has brought me through another drearry winter through all the exposures of camp life and I feel that the same god is able to protect me in the day of battle now if I have not enjoyed religion here I dont no what it is I have ben encouraged in many of your letters to hear of you praying in our little famley I hope you will keep it up during my absence I try to pray morning and eavning BB Decker and me often goes down to the river Bank after dark and communs with god in secret thare is a geat eal of wickedness here and lots of swearing it seams to me if I had ben in the habit of swearing I would quit it Now I can inform you that we have fine weather here now I would like to be at home this butiful sabath morning to go to meeting with you but in stead of that I will have to go to inspection of arms at 9 oclock I guess Brther Maple(1) will prech for us this eavning now the most we can hear here is the sound of the drum and the crack of the gun and the order of the officers we have to be subject to those that have the rule over us I tell you private life would be verry exceptable with the Solgier Now Rachel tell Mr Ellis I was much gratified to get a letter from him tell him to rite to me again tell him I would answer his letter now but I have a bad chance to rite tell him Wessley Ellis(2) is well tell father Mack and Elvin if tha will rite to me a letter I will answer it if I can think of anything that I think will interest them tell Billey I have Swaped off his barlow and got a nice two bladed knife tell him if he will make granpap rite to me I will send him 5 cents in a letter Now Rachel I beleve I have rote all tha is necessary at this time for I will rite again in a week if I can I hope you will do the same you mail your letters on firday and I get them the next friday Now Dear companion remember your unworthy husban

your truly
D S to Rachel Morgan

NB A few lines to Ellie and Mary dear Brother and sister I hope this will find you all well and and doing Now Ellie I was glad to hear that you had some oats sowed I hope you will get along well with your work I hope the lord will give you health and strength to perform your duties Now Ellie you said in your letter that it was rote bad but I was a better schollar than you and I could read it well some of it put me to all I nowed to read it you must not string it out so rite soon Direct your letter to camp cumberlan Ky 49 Reg ind volunteers in care of captain Ritter farewell for the present

D S Morgan to Ellie kerns and famley

* Note: As always, I do not correct the spelling or change the text.

(1) Probably Sgt. William Maple, Company G
(2) Perhaps James W. Ellis, Company A.

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