The Civil War Letters of J. W. Rabb

Rome, Georgia, July 31st 1863

Mrs. Mary Rabb

Dear Ma,

I again try to send you a few lines. Col. Ferrel, I here, is going to start to Texas tomorrow. I have no news to rite you aney more than what you see by the papers. I have not had a letter from home in some time, & I have not had a letter from Virge since he was at Srievesport on the way back to his Reg. I am very desirous to here from him & also from home. I think it is very to get a letter to Texas now, so you will here from me very seldom, so you must do the best you can, & I will do the same. We may have some hard fighting to do before long, and if I fall, remember that I fell in a just cause, contending for rights & liberty, so you must not cry. But I do not think that the Yankeys will get me. I think that I will come out all right at last. Our armys on this side of the Miss have met with some reverses of late. When we here of it, we have less hope of getting home soon, but we are stern & resolved to fight the Yanks till we get what we want or all of us go up. Some time we think that we will get to go home soon, and then it seems like it will be a long time. I am in good health. I way one hundred & seventy five all the time. Croft is well & a better fellow there is not in our Co. If the Yankeys get in to Texas & they will treat you all very bad. If you do not sen the negroes off they will take them. If they come to Austin, you must also hide your cows & mules & horses or they will take them. Give my respects to all of my friends. Tell Gum to take care of him selfe. Tell him to rite me.

J. W. Rabb

Rabb, J. W., "We are Stern and Resolved: The Civil War Letters of John Wesley Rabb", ed. by Thomas W. Cutrer, The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, 1987, pp. 185-226.

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