#36
Stevenson, Alabama
Oct 26th 1863
Dear Wife & Daughter
I now seat myself to answer your letters which I was glad to receive and hear that you ware all well. I received the one that you wrote when you was at Haddam and the one mailed the 16th of Oct last Thursday the 22th of Oct also one from Mother Brainard the same time received one from Ella [?] mailed the 2nd of Oct that [?] Sunday was glad to get that shall look for another by the next mail. In answer [?] one that I wrote at Deckerd your letters found me well and I hope when this reaches you it will find you all well. I was sorry to hear that Edgar had got through going to school for I was in hopes that he was going to be a good boy and try to learn something this time but I see my hopes are crushed in the bud; if he wont minde you and do as you tell him I want you should find a place for him to live whare he will have to minde what is said to him, you will see by the heading of this letter that I am down in Alabama once more I am on Guard to day at the General Hospitle, a good many of the wounded are here that was wounded at the battle of Chicamauga near Chattanooga Tennessee, We are stoping now at Stevenson but how long we shall remain here I can not tell for they shift us about pretty often nowdays, we had a pretty hard march when we come down here for it rained very farst for the last twenty four hours before we started. it was very cold the morning that we left Cowan Station we was drummed up at four Oclock in the morning and started as soon as we could see we marched about 18 Miles on Saturday over the Cumberland Mountains and I tell you we found mud plenty of it, our march part of the way for Miles was like climbing up and down Uncle Washingtons ledges only was the Artillery had to go over the mountain, they got stuck and broke down besides we met a long waggon train coming across the mountain it reached a mile or more so we had to leave the travailed path and clamber along amongst the rocks and brush on the sides of the road which you may know was fine kind of business considering the load that we had to carry which was our knapsacks and cloths haver sacks and canteen with our Equipments and sixty rounds of amunition and five or six days rations of hard tack Pork Sugar and Coffee and one other thing that I forgot to mention that is the old Musket which weighs ten pounds, so you can judge something of the little load that we have to carry up and down the Mountain through mud and slop but anough of this for this time so good day my love and a kiss to all of you
From your most Affectionate Husband & Father.
A.C. Smith
dont forget to write whether you hear from me or not I shall write as often as I have a chance
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