Letter by H. H. Jones to his father A. K. Jones

Camp Johnson Bolen Green Ky
Col. Terry Regt November the 3, 1861

Dear Father
I take my pen in hand, once more to address you a few lines, and hope they may find you in the enjoyment of good health. My health is tollerably good at present. D. C. is complaining some, but ( ) perform ( ). My health has been as good as could be expected, taking in to consideration the exposser that I have undergon since I left Texas. I and Cap left home on the 23 of Sep and got to this place on the sixteenth of Oct. Keet and Collie was poorly when we left there, and little Mollie was just geting over the effects of a chills. R (?) N was well, and was going to stay with Keet unless called for to fight for Texas. Times was tollerable exciting when I left there The people were expecting troops to be landed on their shore every day Great excitement at Galveston. an attack anticipated every hour. Troops flocking there in large numbers for it protection. We stoped at Houston four day. There we taken cars traveled on day. and taken a boat which landed us at Niblets bluff on the sibean. From that place we taken it a foot for one hundred and forty miles. That was the severest part of my journey. about two thirds of the way was mud and water from ankle to helf thigh deep. The boys stood it surprisingly. had they of got their meals regularly I dont think that would have been half the sickness that there was. Several times we went all day with out anything to eat, and once twenty four hours with any thing. From that on we faired very well. Although the greater portion of the way we was put in open cars. when we got here we found evry thing in great excitement. the country all round covered with troops, hundreds coming in every day since. I under stand that the enemy which was en camped forty miles from us beyond Green river is crossin and advancing on us. How true it is I cant tell our picketts are skirmishing more or less everyday. Three men was brough in here on the thirteth wounded who said they and twelve other ware surrounded by the enemy pickett consisting of forty five they could give no account of the remaining twelve. one of the said, that he knocke three from their horsses, before he was wounded, yestarday. our picketts went to green river the enemies pickets on the opposte side of the river commence a fire upon them from be hind logs and trees wounded several of them causing them to have to retreat. There are a great many abolitionist round here. pretending union men or rather say they want to remain nutral. such men outht to be took and shot or hangd. I say this for this (recently our) picketts are been shot neerly every night, and I believe they are the ment that are doing it. They are suffered to come round our camp evry day, on most any kind of any excuse, sich as any kind of man can put up. on the twenty eight great excitement. eight hundred linconites [Lincolnites] on this side of Green river, and had one hundred of our cavealry surrounded. General Johnson dispched fifteen hundred cavalry on duble quick time and several thousand infantry to the releaf, but when they arrived they had fled and recrossed the river. We taken on the twenty ninth under suspision who came in camps and had gon out, but soon after he departed, questions was asked and being asked who he was and no person knew. We followed him and brought him back. He sad he was a southern man but lived in the north and had come through on business for widow ladie who petitions for a passport so that he coudl passes the northern pickett. He said he had passed through the northern army that day he gave considerable information of the northern army, but after an examination they turned him loos I dont think that they done right for this reason. He will go back and give the enemy information of us as he did us. Although he might have given us falce information. Part of our regiment is out who should have been back yesterday but are not back yet report say the enemy is in fifteen miles of this do day. The suposition is our scuting party is in a fight The troops have been marching around here considerably this morning. We privates are not allowed to know any about what is going on we have to guess from teh manuvers of things round what is going on. This is the day that the Gen in command of the northern troops, said that he intended to eat dinner in this place. I will close. Write when can

your son truly,
H. H. Jones

(a third of a page has been cut out, and there is no indication as to what was in it. It picks up on the middle of another section of his letter)

The health of the regiment is very bad. report say there is not more than half, that is fit for service. There are forty in the Hospitle with the measles, and eighty being in camp and a great many others with colds and cughs. nothing more

The Jones Family Papers, 1861-1862 (C#2235)
Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia, University of Missouri