|
|
From: Theodore Drake
Dalton, Georgia
Jany., 15, 1865
To: Martin Drake
Oak Grove, Dodge Co., Wis.
Dear Father and Mother,
Thinking you would like to hear from me and know wether I was alive or dead. I thought I would write home while I had an opportunity.------I have had since I left Nash. I have been on a regular campaign. ------ ------ of Dec. on the 5th of Dec. the colored troops charged the rifle ------- of Hoods army at Nash. I was on pickett at the time of the charge. it was made directly in front of my post. the darkies drove the rebs from their works and made several captures, among the captured was a reb lieut. this recollect was the first fighting I had seen and it somewhat scared Mr. Drake. Since then I have been on the battle field of Nash. & the roar of artillery and musketry does not trouble me much. the 15th of Dec. our battallion was ordered to march at daylight, we struck tents --- marched to the left of the right wing of our army. about 11. A.M. three or four regiments of our colored troops and one white engaged the enemy in front of our old position to draw their attention to ward that point. I was in plain sight & saw the whole of it. shortly after the brush I was detailed for picket. after the pickets had taken their posts the troops were formed in line of battle and advanced to ward their works, the battle soon commenced in earnest our men was ordered to charge the works which they did with roars that drounded the sound of musketry they did not wait for fresh orders but pressed on & captured their second line of works. our artillery threw shells over our heads into the enemy which made them hunt their holes. this was the first days fight. the second was when the hardest fighting was done. a large frame house that stood just in the rear of the rebs picket line was riddled with bullets & shell our men had fired. the rebel pickets got upon the top of it & fired at our pickets from behind the chimney. the 16th of Dec. put Hood to rout. the 19th we commenced our march. the first day it rained all day the second it was cold & cloudy. we marched to Murfeesboro took the cars for Decator Ala. was on the cars 5 days & 5 nights. 60 or 70 in a car & so crowded we could not lay down. we got off the cars a few miles this side of decatur marched to the Tenn river crossed on transport drove the rebs out of the place then marched to courtland 22 miles south of Decatur we stayed there 4 days while we was there we had our extra rations while we was there. the boys went out foraging we had turkey hens, gees ducks fresh pork beef mutton flour corn meal honey milk. in fact everything you can think of. on the 11th of Jany we returned to Chatt. on the 12th we came to this place, relieved the garrison here and now it is garrisoned by the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Battallions of the 20th Army Corp detatched men all of them we number 5 or 6 hundred. I am now doing Provost duty guarding guirrillas. I was detailed as a permanent guard. I will stay here as long as our men garrison Dalton. there is a report here that the rebels have sued for peace & that they have appointed commissionaires to settle it. I would like to know if it is so. I suppose there has been another call for 300,000 more men. I think it will go rather hard in our town. has Jones enlisted. if he has not what does he think of the next draft how is Jane is she well is all of our folks well. have you got any-one to help you this winter. who builds fires. have you butchered your hogs yet. how long has Martha been at Watertown. who is teaching our school this winter. how is the tobacco business. how is Mc Quivey a getting along. has he got anyone to help him this winter. how is Hurfords folks Driscolls also have they heard from Cornelius yet who has they got to help them. do you know where Charley & Tim is. how is Will Marsh getting along. when you see him tell him to write to me. I will write to him as soon as I can I find that it is no small job to write to all that I promised to so soon I will do so as soon as I can. I received a letter from Ed & Emma the 12th of this month while at Chatt. the first news I have had from home since I left mad. you can’t think how glad I was when I got them. tell them I will answer their letters as soon as I can. I don’t know but what you will think I am rather inquisitive but I can’t help it answer all the questions you can & I will let the rest go. send me a postage stamp now and then as I am unable to buy them here for love or money. is Uncle Stewarts folks all well. Joe’s also. tell Charley to sell my skates if he can & give Robby the money to get him a pair. Tell all of the children to write & not wait for me. I could write much more if I had time. I will write again in a few days. give my love to all & a share for yourselves.
Respectfully Yours Theodore Drake
Theo to Charles Drake No. 1
Dalton, Georgia to Clymen, Wisconsin
dated: Jany. 22, 1864* (probably an error in the year)
Dear Brother,
I received Mother’s letter of Dec. 23rd the 20th of Jany. the first letter I have received from home since I left Mad. it contained some very unexpected news. the death of Mr. Beard & Agnes. I wrote a long letter to Father & Mother a day or two before I received Mother’s letter. she spoke of your thinking hard of me for not writing to you. I tell you Charley if you had been th-- ---- what I have since I started you would find it a hard job to write to every one. I thought as long as I wrote home it was as well as if I had written to each one of the family seperate. I have not stayed in one place long enough to write more than one or two letters at a time since I left. I think you have had much more time to write than I have. I have been on one of the hardest campaigns the war, so all of the officers & old soldiers say that was with us. the last letter I wrote home will give you a faint idea of it. the battle of Nash. also I saw & heard the whole of that skirmish. Mother says the tobacco is froze, I don’t think it will hurt it if it dried before it froze. Have you heard anything further from Willie McQ. has Mary stopped going to school at Watertown. does Tim & Charley write to you. I think the direction Mother sent me ought to have the name of the state on it. does Jim & Ed Duffy go to school. what is Mrs, Beard a going to do is George living with her yet. how is Jim Northrop. do the young folks have any parties this winter. how did you spend your Christmas & new years. has Driscoll’s heard from Con yet. when you write to me send me 2 or 3 pieces of wax & a good buckskin needle. Mother asks to know how my money is holding out. I have got $5 yet. I got my boots repaired the other day & it cost me $2. she spoke of sending me a box of things. as soon as we got fairly settled I will send for a box. What have you done with my dog skin. keep it if you can. you can sell my skated, take the money & buy Roby a pair. has father paid his taxes yet or do you know how much they are what is the price of grain. have you bought any new clothes this winter. how is my steers getting along. you may think I ask some foolish questions but it won’t hurt you to ans. them. is Len at home now or is he at Beaver Dam. I believe I have asked you all the questions I can think of there fore I will close. don’t neglect to ans. this as soon as you rec. it. I will write again in the course of a few days.
Yours Respectfully
T. Drake
P.S. In case my last letter should not reach home I will give you the directions in this as it was in that.
1st Battallion
Detatchment of the 20th A.C.
Via Nashville, Tenn
Tell our folks to No. their letters beginning at 1 & then I can tell wether I receive them or not I will do the same
Dora D.
Theodore Drake to Charles Drake
Dalton Georgia to Oak Grove, WI
dated: Feb. 16,1865
Dear Brother,
I received your letter of the 5th yesterday. I am not on duty to day therefore I
concluded to take advantage of my leisure hours & write to you. I am well as usual &
hope to remain so. I am glad to hear that all is well at home. some of the boys reed
letters from home a few days since stating that the snow had all disappeared. if such is the
case it will somewhat injure the sleighing. the weather here is warm but rainy. spring will
commence here in the course of two or three weeks. the weather here at the present time
is such as you have there at the commencement of spring. have you got your summer
wood up yet. unless you have help I think it will be quite a job for you. do you think of
getting it from Jack’s place again. when you write to C. Mc.* give him my direction &
tell him to write to me. I wrote to Charley & Tim but don’t think they will recieve them
on acct. of the direction. I was well aware that they were in no state there was a mis
understanding between you & me I had referance to the state they belonged to in order to
have their mail go direct to them it is proper that their state should be written on the letter.
but the first direction you sent me had no state signed to it in referance to the box. I
should like to have you send it as soon as convenient the sooner the better. I want some
butter, cheese, dried beef dried fruit a couple of bottles of pain killer, tobacco & hat &
what else you wish writing paper also. tell father to send me a couple dols. of money.
when you see joe tell him he will have to strip more than once. you ask me about the
tobacco as soon as it is fit to strip I think you had better strip it & sell it. about the wolves
you spoke of I don’t see much of a sight if I have a chance I will get a couple. my tent ----
- - ---- bought a 8 inch one for $4. the fellow he got it from paid $22 for it. it was a bran
new one. it is a 3 shot Colts. Pat. he got out of money reason for selling. our living is
good but we do not get quite enough bread to eat. our rations are soft bread, corn beef,
dried herring, rice, sugar, coffee, tea, beans, potatoes, soap, candles, vinager, salt, pepper
& I guess that is all. we do our own cooking. I tell you it takes a good cook to beat me
in cooking such rations as the army draws. my boots is good yet not a hole in them except
a rip in the side of the leg. that is what I wanted the wax ends for. when you send the box
send me a paper of round headed tacks to put in my boots. my clothes are all good yet. I
believe I shall have to bring this letter to a close. Write soon. tell the rest to write.
Yours with respect
Theodore Drake Esq
Directions for box
Theodore Drake
1st Battalion
Detachment 20th A Corps.
Chattanooga, Tenn.
In care of Christian Commision
*Charles McQuivey
Theodore Drake to Sophia Drake
Chattanooga, Tn. to Oak Grove, Wis.
dated: March 2, 1865
Dear Mother,
Your kind and welcome letter of Feb. 22 I received the 28th of the same month. I was
very glad to hear from you. I wrote to you while at Dalton not to send the box but I see
by your letter that you sent it the same day you mailed your letter. we have left Dalton &
now are camped at this place. how long we will stay here I am not able to say. I expect
we are going to our commands such is the report at present. I have not received the box
yet but I think I shall before I leave here. I should think it would come through as quick
as the letter did. I wrote to father to send me a couple of Dol. in money. I don’t know if
he has sent it or not. I have $2 left yet I will be as saving of my money as possible. you
ask me to tell you in what way I was favored at dalton so as to keep dry. It was the
doings of our Sergeant Major that I was detailed for that business. I was No. 1 on the
detail so my post was at the guard house where they kept the prisoners. our quarter was
in the same building so you see I did not have but a few steps to go to get to my post. 4
more days and 5 months of my time is served. have they drafted there yet. I think Brother
Jones is working for self interest more than anything else. I suppose he puckers his mouth
more than ever now. Tell father to vote against the tax every time. I will send my
overcoat home just as soon as I think it is warm enough. I am making a stone Bible I will
send you as soon as I get it finished. I will send you a little book presented by the U.S.
Chris. Com. the grass has commenced to green here. tell Mrs. H. & Mrs. Driscoll I am
much obliged to them for the dried fruit & beef. we celebrated the capture of Charlston
on the 22nd of Feb. fired a salute of [34] guns. the 145 Regt. Ind Vol. relieved us at
Dalton they was all new men. I will get my box myself. I recd. letter from W.B. Baker
yesterday. how is all of the folks in the neighborhood. have you got your summer wood
up yet. I am writing this in the office of the U.S.C. Com. everything furnished free of
charge. I have so many letters to write that it keeps me at it most all of the time. I should
like to have C. Mc address. give him mine. Tell Ed to write. I wrote to him & Em the
other day. tell Lia & Tammie to write I recd a letter from Martha not long since. don’t
send any more papers as I have not recd. one of them yet. send me some stamps in your
next-4 or 5 at a time is enough. I will close this hoping to hear from you soon.
Most Sincerely Yours
Theodore Drake
address
Co. A 1st Battallion
Detachment of the 20th A.C.
Chatt. Tenn.
excuse the writing I am in a hurry