1864 Jan 20
January 20, 1864
My dear companion,
I seat myself to drop you a line to inform you that I am not well. I have the worst cold and cough I ever had in my life. I am up and about. I hope these lines may reach and find you all well.
I have no news to write, only we are here yet and I understand that our boys were called off to guard the 54th Georgia Regiment. They were taken prisoners at Vicksburg and had taken an oath not to fight any more until they were exchanged, and we have to guard them. They say they won’t fight until they are exchanged. And I don’t blame them.
All seems to be quiet now. We are getting bacon, flour, and rice now and I think we get plenty.
I will wait until tomorrow to finish. Maybe I’ll get a letter by that time. I want to hear from home very much.
January 21.
I am better today. I do not cough so much. The weather is very fine today though, but it has been very hard for some time past, cold and rainy.
We had an alarm here last night. And some of the men who had their wives here did not get in lines and have been put on double duty for it. Marion Grisham for one, and William Spencer also, but he was excused because he said he was sick. I think it will help the boys very much because they have become very careless. It turned out to be a false alarm. Colonel Gordon and General Colston came round and said we made a very good turnout.
The last letter I got from you was dated the tenth. When you write, let me know whether you have heard from Ed Harden and all the rest of the boys.
You can pay the old man Lynch the balance of that money, that is $20, and give Uncle John Jones’ note to Jake’s Ellen and make a credit on my note that she holds, and if you have money to spare, pay Granny Cook same, and be careful to make the credit on the note which she holds.
You had better keep some money on hand for fear you might need it. I will try to send you twenty or twenty-five dollars the first chance I get.
I will close as my paper is short.
Yours, etc.
W. H. Harden to N. J. Harden