John W. Hill to Mary Scott Hill - February 4, 1862

Miss M S Hill

Dear Sister Yours of the 29th. December was received by me a few days ago. Bro Bob also received one of the 10th of last month from you about the same time I am verey glad to hear that you are all well and to hear that Mas leg was improving. Very sorry to hear taht you are having so mutch dry weather in Texas. I am very mutch afraid iff you have had no rain up to this date that you will have a very bad crop year in Texas this year We have rain here all the time. We have not had but one or two sun shiney days sins about 20th December. it rains two or three days then snows and sleets then rains again the whole country is a perfect mud hole and the roads are all most impasable. We arived at this place last Friday was a week ago we will stay here about five weeks. To give you some idier of what we have to do I was put on picket gard last Sunday was a week it rain all knight got to camp monday about twelve o'clock Tuesday morning started with the Company on a three days Scout. We went up the pike about Eight miles in the direct of Green River we then turned to the left towards Mamouth cave. Rod over the roughest country I ever saw about five miles whene gain the top of a high Hill we came in sight of the Enemys camp There is five Regments About two miles this sid[e] of where we had the fight as we had only sixty men our company and Capt Wm. R. Jormons company of fayette Co[unty] We thought it best to let them alone in there glorey. We then came back to Cave Cittey about six miles above this plase Camped for the knight it rain all knight and all the next day but the rain did not stop us we started out the next day with wet blankets wet gunns and wet our selves rod all day going to Hors-wells Hors-Cave the last named plase the Enemy have set sevral traps to catch us but I think we are two old for them We would have had to lay out another knight had not Col Wharton sent out and order for us to come into camp. Last Saturday I was on picket again rained all the time again. And I expect that the Company will be orderd out on a nother scout tomorrow Cosin T. A. Hill got here day before yesterday he come up to Bowlin-Green after some two or three men that had left there Battalion and joined som Alabama Regment for twelve months. He got a pass for two dayes and come up to see us he is in fine healthe and looks better than I ever saw him he sayes that they are having a very easy time of it at Greensville Good houses for all of there Companys to stay in. He says that he would like to belong to this Regment iff we did not have sutch a hard time at it Cap was out on Picket when he came and yesterday morning when they were relived Cap and bout a dozen others went out Mamouth Cave and they did not get back yesterday eavning till after Tom was gone so Cap did not git to see his Brother. Cap is in fine healthe. Frank had a chill last knight but is up this morning Wm Simms 28 took the Diahrea very bad after he got to camp and after he come up here the Measils broke out on him R. T. Hill 29 went withe him to Galtin in Tenn He is at Mrs. Millers and I expect he is quit sick as Bob Hill has not come back yett. He is at a nise place and they will give him eavrey attention Brother Bob is in camp but he looks a good eale worsted from the spell that he had Charley McGehee got his discharge and is at home iff he had good luck. Oliver Ship 30 was a great eal better the last time I heard from him And I guess that he is on his way home before this There was Eight Prisoners sent from this plas to Bowlin-Green yesterday They wer taken by Capt John Morgan on the other sid of Green River All the boyes of your acquaintance that are in Camp are well. I give Cosin Tom 31 your last letter Uncle Toms 32 last to Cap and a letter from Cosin Nish as he said that he had not heard from home in some time you must excuse this for this is the meanest pen that I ever tryed to write with in my life Give my love to all the Relations and friends and except the same for your selfe Write soon and a heap of it Cap Frank 33 Bro Bob all send love to you all

Your Brother
Jno. W. Hill

Why does not Bro Jim write to me

Footnotes:
28. William Simms was from Bastrop, Texas, and a member of Terry Rangers.
29. R. T. Hill was a son of Wiley Hill. He was a first cousin of John and Bob Hill. R. T. Hill is also referred to as Bob Hill. He may be distinguished from Dr. Robert Hill by the fact that throughout these letters Dr. Hill is spoken of as Brother Bob or as Bob, while R. T. Hill is so called or is called Bob Hill.
30. Oliver Ship was a brother of Robert Ship, who was previously mentioned. They lived across the river from the Hills.
31.Cousin Tom was Tom Hill, a brother of D. O. Hill.
32. Uncle Tom was T. B. J. Hill who came to Texas with Middleton Hill.
33. Frank refers to Frank McGuire who has been referred to before.

Goldman, Pauline S., ed., Letters from three Members of Terry's Texas Rangers, 1861-1865, Unpublished MA Thesis, University of Texas, 1930.