95th & 47th Illinois Infantry

Item LTR-9446

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 4 pages, written in period ink.


In Camp at Clifton, Tennessee
January 5, 1865

My Dear Wife,

I sit down this morning to pen you a few lines to let you know where I am and of my health. We are at the small town of Clifton on the Tennessee River. We have been here two days. We have had a pretty hard march in getting here. The weather has been somewhat cold and stormy and the roads quite muddy.

My health is very good at present with the exception of a lame back and that is caused by taking a slight cold. I think I will be over it in a few days again. We have been following Hood’s army all the way from Nashville and have got him scattered all over the country. We hear Forrest is up the Tennessee River at Muscle Shoals. I expect that we will have to go up there and see what he is about and very likely we will have a little time with him. But still I don’t know anything about it – only it is my supposition.

I received your letter of December 18th. It came to hand on Christmas night and it was very thankfully received and you must accept my purest love for your Christmas present. And at some future time I hope to be able to bestow some greater gifts to you for Christmas presents.

I suppose you would like to know how I spent my holidays this time. I will tell you as near as I can. Christmas morning we got up early and went down to cross Duck River. It was a little rainy all day. We stayed there till 11 o’clock at night before we could get across and after we crossed the river on the pontoon bridge, we marched 4 miles and got in camp at half past 0ne o’clock at night and then I got your letter.

Well, New Year’s Day I spent on the road. On the night of 31st, it snowed some and in the morning the snow was about 2 inches deep and pretty cold. We left camp about seven o’clock in the morning and marched all day that day. I drove team most all day so you can judge whether I had a good time or not. I thought of you a great many times through the day and wondered where you was and what you was doing.

Well Kate, I begin to think that before another New Year’s Day this great rebellion will come to a close and I hope it will – don’t you? I see by the papers that General Sherman has been successful in his raid through Georgia and I don’t think he will stop raiding right off either. I would like to be with his army when it moves through South Carolina for there will be some fun then. He will sweep the whole face of the country clean of everything.

I am going to send this letter by Captain H. M. Bush. He is going home on a sick leave of absence. I wish that I was going with him but I cannot go and so I am contented. There is no furloughs being given now but if we should go in some quarters and lay still awhile, I think that there would be some given out and then I may get a chance to go home for a short time. The boys in the company are most of them well and feel good. I must close this time for the want of news to write. After this, direct your letters to Headquarters, 3rd Division Detachment, Army of Tennessee and receive this from your husband,
J. W. Houghtaling

To K. B. H.