November 1st 1863

Camped in line of battle near
Chattanooga Tenn
November 1st 1863
Dear Sister
I will now endeavor to answer your ever welcome letter of the 12th of last month that came safe to hand a few days ago. I would have answered it sooner but Bill Howard of our company sent up his discharge a few days ago and I was waiting to hear from it. He has got it all signed and he is going to start home to marrow evening. He says he is going to try and go by our house and carry this. If he don’t go by there he will put it in the office at Brook.

I tell you Mary we are all faring fine now. We have nothing to do but to stand pickett a little. We have got our cooking utensils here with us and we do our own cooking. We have plenty near all got our houses put up. I think we are too well fixed up to stay here long. I have got a very comfortable house to sty in. I would not care much if we have to stay here all winter. I was glad to hear that Joe Cobb had got home, I feared that the poor fellow would never see home again. He said that he thought he would not try to get away from the place where he was shot but he seen me when we area falling back and he hallowed for me to help him and I did so. I went back with him and myself and Balaam Smith had to pretty near tote him for about two miles. I slept there all night and waited on the wounded for it was near dark when I got to the hospital and I didn’t know where to go to find our regiment. Next morning Joe begged me to stay with him but I thought it was my duty to go back to the regt so when I found the boys there was not a yank to be found, only dead ones but gracious knows there was plenty of them. I want you to know tell Ma not to be so uneasy about me when she hears of a fight. And cant hear from me in a ni a god while for after a battle we hardly ever have a chance to write under a weeks time for it takes us fully that long if not longer to get settled.

I think I will get along better after while for Ben Knapp has sent home for a negro to cook for us. Ben is a splendid mess mate, only he gets a little pettish now and then. We haven’t got but three in our mess now as Alex Currie has gone to the hospital and I expect he will get a furlough before he comes back. Neil is as fat as an old hog. He has lay about here so long and done nothing. That he is so lazy he can hardly get about. He hasn’t helped me and Ben to cook any mouthful to day, but we have got him out getting supper at last. Well I quit for this evening as it is getting late.

November the 2nd 1863

Well Mary I will commence again this morning and try and finish your letter this. Morning finds me in the best of health. I don’t think I can write much more for I wrote pretty near all I could think of yesterday but there was one thing I forgot and that was to tell you to send me about two dozen potatoes and some butter and some preserves. You can put them in a box with my clothes and send them by Bennet for he has got free transportation for all the things he is going to bring back with him. You can’t imagine how I would like to be going home with Bill Howard. I think if I was to go get home they wouldn’t see me back hare before next spring. They are offering 40 day furloughs to any body that will get a recruit and have him mustered in to the service and doing duty then they can apply for a furlough and get it. So if you see any body that want to join the army just send them to me. Tell them that this is a splendid place and rather than miss I would give right smart for a furlough. Me and Neil are going to write Luther Blue and see if there isn’t some men in his company that wants to swap with us and come to this company and let Alex and him and me go to that company. We are getting tired of the infantry. We want to try cavalry a while. I would like to have been at home when you went up to Mount Zion. I would to see all the girls. I think I will have to write Miss Betty a nice little letter. I think maybe so she would answer it. I would like very well to see Miss Anet Douglas. I have almost forgot how she looks. Well I will quit for this time. Give my love to all and the same for your self. From Archie

Notes offered on the tops of pages

Top of page 7:

Neil is going to send some letters to our house and he wants you to send them home the first opportunity.

Top of page 4

I want you to write to write me regular for when you write regular I get a good many letters. I will do the same.