June 16th 1863

Camp Near Shelbyville Tenn
June 16th 1863
Dear Sister
I will now try and answer your letters that I received the night before last. I would have answered them yesterday bur our company had to go out and work on the breast works and I felt too tired to write when I came back. We had to work two hours. Back work goes harder with me than it used to. I think there will we will be some of the largest men when this war ends that ever was heard of. We have been lazing up in camp so long that we dread to do anything but we will have to do a little more now as we have to furnish wood in town as the regts that used to furnish wood has the small pox. We have fine times though when we get to town. I would not have any better time than we are having now. When we don’t draw enough to eat we try to buy it and when we cant buy it there is another way of getting it. I reckon you can guess how that is with out me telling you. I want you to tell Ma that I am not suffering for clothes now. I drew a pair of shoes and a pair of pants a pair of drawers a shirt and a hat. Tell her that she need not fear about my arm for it is well. Tell her to that I will be certain to take care of number one always
The letter that was mailed in Covington, I sent it by Capt. Learly. He was going home and I had to write in a hurry and forgot to tell you who I was going to send it by.
That man that stayed with you that said that he lived near hear didn’t miss it for when he said that they were pretty near all union people about here for I think myself that the most of them all union they charge about three prices for every thing we buy but there are some very pretty girls up here but I don’t like them very much. They say that the Mississippians sell water to the Tennesseans. I told on old lady that the Mississippians didn’t try to fool them when they sold them water but the people up here did. I told her that when they wanted to sell water up here that they mixed a little milk with it and sold it for milk. I tell you that old woman didn’t talk about water any more.
All the houses close to our camp have been visited by me and they all know me. Tell Mr. Strong that he ought to get some body else to live with him while Miss Sallie is away from home. I think that Liva McClatchy was bad off to marry from what Nancy wrote to me. I think if she had waited until the war was over she might have done better. When you write tell me how Coony is getting along. I haven’t heard from her in a long time. When the mail was stopped and none of us couldn’t get any letters, I tell you we were the worst looking crowd you most ever saw. You wrote that you heard that we were in Jackson. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were sent down there before long. Mary I saw John Byrd in the guard house in town the other day but I don’t want you to even whisper it out of the family for I wouldn’t have him know that I wrote it for nothing in the world but I don’t much blame him for being in there for I would have done just like he did under the same circumstances. I will not write the particulars about it. Tell Jenny that I can’t think of a name for her pup without she will call him Brackston Bragg. Tell me whether Jenny ever got her knife or not. I sent it to Brook by a man from the Dalgreen Rifles. He said he would leave it at the post office. I put it in a letter. Please let me know whether she ever got it or not. Well I will close hoping to hear from you soon. This leaves me in the best of health and spirits so nothing more only I remain your affectionate brother
Archie