Sunday, December 06, 1863 - Stevenson, Alabama

#43

Head Quarters 20^th Regt CV

Stevenson, Ala Sunday Dec 6^th 1863

Dear Wife

It being the Sabath and not haveing any thing on hand just now to kill time I perhaps shant find anything to employ myself any better at than by writing to you and let you know how I am and how I am getting along, Wal in the first place then I will say that I am well as usual and hope these few lines will find you and the children all the same, The weather is very fine here to day it seams more like the middle of spring than it does like the forepart of winter I have been to church this forenon we have services here now every sabbath at 11 O clok A M and 7 P M The church was rather of a dilapidated stile, it was once probably quite a house but the ravages of war has set its mark on it as it has on every thing els this way Some of the glass gone from the windows a good share of the seats smashed down most of the ceiling on the walls and over head tore off Clabboards from the out side missing and the building generaly pretty well ripped to peaces, You know but little how a place changes its appearance whare war is carried on awhile, I have not received your letter that you wrote last sunday yet if you wrote one and I suppose you did I shall look for it to night or to morrow night I have a pleanty to eat nowdays such as soldiers generaly live on we have pork and hard bread beans Fresh Beef once or twice a week Soft bread two or three days in a week Sugar and coffee and we got ham anough to fry once to day for the first time and also drawed tea for two days rations. I stued up a larg kittle of beans yesterday for Rockwell and me warmed up a good big spider ful last night for supper and this morning for breakfast and have a plenty of them left to give you a good meal if you was here to eat with me, I am going to have fried ham for supper to night. dont know whether I shall go to church this evening or not, I sent Edgar and Frank twenty five cents each in the last two letters before this I presume you have got it before now I am going to stop now and git supper so good day for a short time, Wal Lucinda I have commenced the job to finish this letter I have been to supper while I was eating I received orders to go and help git a load of wood for thoes fellows at head quarters thet ware Cheesrines on their shoulders so I was obliged to wait untill evening to finish this letter If I ever live to get out this scrape I would like meet some of these fellows that call themselvs officers I would then be on an equal footting with them and insted of touching the front of my cap with my hand to them I would hit a certain part of theirs that I could mention with the toe of my boot, I think that would learn some of them human nature and it would do me a very little good, I must close and git this letter to the office so that it will start in the morning the mail leaves I believe about three O clock in the morning so good night for this time one and all My love to you all, From Your Husband

A.C. Smith

PS Ples find twenty dollars in greenback in this letter answer immediately

Lucinda Smith

Modus Ct