Benjamin F. Burke Letter - October 6, 1861

Dear Father:

I am now in the old state of Tennesee [Tennessee] and the great city of Nashvill [Nashville]. I stopped at Uncle Morrison's nine days and by so doing I got considerably behind my company. I left Bayou Boeuf on the 29th of Sept. and proceeded on to New Orleans and found that my company had left there for Grand Junction Tennesee and so I remained in New Orleans from Sunday until Tuesday. Cousin William accompanied me to N. O. So I got on the cars at eight o'clock Tuesday morning in company with four companies of our regiment and proceeded on to Grand Junction and found that my company had left that place and had changed their course from Richmond, Va. to this place. We were about 24 hours running from N. O. to Grand Junction. The country that I travailed over to that place was rather poor country, mostly piny woods and settlements not very thick. Well, after laying over [7] hours at the junction we then proceeded on our journey to Nashvill, passing through several right brisk little places. Though the country looked very poor to me, the cotton upon the farms was all about knee high (and) from all prospects it would not average over 100 lbs. per acre.

Decator in Alabama on the Tennesee river and the bridge across the river was quite a romantic and picturesque looking place. But as far as the richness of soil and pretty country I would[n't] give Texas for it all, after about 24 more hours run from the junction we arrived at this place. We are camped at the eastern portion of the city on a beautiful rippling little brook that [is] fed by one of the finest springs I ever saw. I can say that this is the most finest springs I ever saw. I can say that this is the most beatiful place for a soldier camp I ever saw. It is the fairground of the city about a mile & half from the centre of the city. We met about eleven hundred Kentuckey [Kentucky] troops at this place. Things around here look somewhat like war to see that many troops drilling and the music going on continually. Though this beautiful spot is now all left to us. The Kentuckies took their departure today for their native state old KY. They say they are going to winter in Louisvill [Louisville]. They merely came over here for camp instruction. In all probability our destination [is] somewhere in Kentucky - very likely at Columbus. I was sorry that we were deprived of going to VA. The majority were not in favor of going to KY. I have heard of no fighting since the battle of Lexington in MO. of which I wrote Brother William. I can't tell you how long we will stay here but we will until all of the regiment gets here. There is only five companies here now.

I will have to close so write me as soon as you receive this. Bill ?allorn and John Justice send respects to you. So, good by.

B. F. Burke

Heard, Jessie Burke, ed. Terry Ranger Writes Home: Letters of Pvt. Benjamin F. Burke Written While in Terry's Texas Rangers 1861-1864. No Place, No Publisher, 1965. (Available in the University of Houston Library.)