C.W. Love to E. T. G. Love, December 13, 1861

E.T.G. Love

Dear Sister:
I received a letter from you some time backit was the only one I have from any of you since I left home. I have written to father frequently this being sufficient as all would then know how we were getting along. I have learned nothing from the boys (Sam'l & John) more than what I wrote from Memphis. I have learned through Mr. Jas M. Davis of Springfield that Stones Regmt is possibly still at the same place they then were in the upper part of Arkansas. but I do not know enough about their location to know how to write to them. I do not know whether my letters reach you or not but I have expressed a desire in every letter to be informed where they are but as I get no letters from you I can know nothing about them. I have had a few chillswithin the last week and thought I had the Mumps but I do not know whether so or notif so they have been very lightI am now getting well have not been under the necessity of going to bed for a good while during the time in fact hardly at all. Uncle AndrewAndrew jr and Robt. High are at ClarksvilleRobt High has had Measles but is better I do not think there has been much the matter with Andrew jr at any time he has been like many others of the Company sick a little but generally low spirited

There is a large Hospital at Clarksville a Female College with 150 rooms capable of accommodating from 400 to 600 menthis Hospital the one here and all the hospital room at Nashville are full and crowded with the sick from this place and Boling Greenthere are about 5000 men here and about 50,000 at Boling Green. One of the Lynches has died -- Bulger Peoples was very sick a few days ago -- the man who told this knew Skruggs was there but could not tell about his health This was a Mr Lenard from McClellan Cohe is here to see one of his sons in this Regmthe has another son at Manassas himself and another son belong to Terrys Regmt he says that from 75 to 100 ot Terrys men have died -

A Mr Roberts who lives on Brazos Tiwacana is here - he has a son in the Company from McClellan County - There was a report here in Camp a couple of days ago that the army at Manassas had been falling back for four days burning their tents and breaking up their vessles and destroying all things else that they could not take with themthis though is not to be believed any farther than that a strategetic move on the eve of a battle which is about to take place is being made by the Cammanding Officers which may appear to men in some part of the line of Battle very much like a retreat -- but I fully believe if there is any falling back at all it is for the purpose of having the advantage at some particular point -- I am not able to get hold of more than half the News Papers that come to Camp and do not know whether the following report is from them or only verbal -- Seward is reported as having said that the people of his country would hear glorious news in a few days exactly what he meant by this is not knownit may be that he thinks some great victory will be gained by the Federals but as they have been whipped every time and in view of this fact it could be considered nothing less than a high degree of presumption for him to allude to such a thing as thisthe glorious news must in my view be the hanging of Slidell and Mason as they have these men in a defenseless condition in their power and I understand hold such a threat over themin fact they are trying to have acts passed by their Congress to confine them in dungeons from some statements in the last papers we haveit appears that Price and McCulloch having of Offices of equal grade and one not willing to obey the other there has been an officer placed in command over both the same paper states that Price is moving toward Kansas where the same report says he intends making his future operationsbut I do not believe this at all

There have up to this time Eight if not Ten of our company dead the last one is now being buried at this placethe two that possibly make up the ten are at Clarksville. Uncle Andrew stated in a letter to Col Gregg that he had a temporary position in the Hospital at Clarksville -- Mr. Davis came by there as he came here he says Uncle Andrew is pretty much worn out by his assiduity in attending to the sick I have not written to anyone else but father before this and will write to him hereafter as money is too scarce to be spending much no more should be spent then is necessary to make our health and circumstances known at home

I have written about all worthy writing about and possibly a good deal more and will quit hoping to get a letter from home soon

Yours truly & Etc.
C.W. Love

Love Family Correspondence. Special Collections, Burnett Library, Texas Christian University. Fort Worth, TX. (TCU Box 298400)