Letter to sisters

Scope and content:

Written from "on Picket Six miles from Shelbyville", Tennessee. Letter regards John R. Hurley's health, life at camp, and personal matters. Letter also mentions that "men [are] deserting very bad here."

Language:

English

Other descriptive data:

On Picket Six miles from Shelbyville
May 22

Well I will write to you all again as I have just received your letter. I am in very good health, the boys is all in very good health that is here except Dock Wolfe he is not very well abile to do deuty yet. Well this is [H_nts] old box lid I am writing on and it is right greesy and my paper is about to get greesy all over. We have very fine weather here it is getting tolerable dry now, it hant raind in about three weeks. The wheat is very good up here, the corn I cant tell mutch about it it has just cum up. I have nothing to write that will interest you. We get a plenty to eat, bacon corn meal and a little flour yes and some peas. we have bin up up here on picket two weeks I don no how long we will stay up here but I don't cear if we stay up here til the war ends for this is a very prety plae here were we are and we don't have mutch to do. we have to go on guard about evry third day but I don't mind that. You all need not make me any clothes for we can draw as many clothes as we want and I have drawn a good pair of shoes. I hant drawn but eleven dollars yet but I think I will draw again in a few days and when I do I will send you all some money to pay postage as I cant get any stamps up here and we cant pay for letters with [?] and you can pay for them yourselves. I would like to be at home to eat some of that honey and see all them young men flying around but I hope it won't be long before we all can get to go home I am sory Jo Talbot went home and told you I was getting low down I think I am as in good health as I ever was in my life. You must take care of my pig and keep it fat and it a great big hog when I get back. I think yet I will be their time enough to eat water melons and peaches. Well I cant think of anything of anything to write. The men is deserting very bad here seven left one company a few nights ago from our regiment but two of them was brought back and they keep them tide down flat on the ground four hours a day in the hot shunshine and then they get right up of the ground and side a wooden horse three hours that is continued for six days I don't think I will ever disert. I believe I will quit. I cant think of any thing to write you must write to me and for all the folks to write to me so nothing more at present.
J.R. Hurley

Subjects:

Confederate States of America. Army—Alabama Infantry Regiment, 39th
United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Personal narratives—Confederate
Correspondence

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