Edward H. Ross to his Wife - November 10, 1861

Dear wife

It is sonday eveing
after fiding out to a gineral review of the trops hear and setting down to
a fine dish of fresh beeff and irash potatoes which you know is a favorit
dish with me I desire to drop you a fiew lins to let you know how I am
and what I am doing
I am harty and fatting like like a pig
I have some cough yet but nothing to complain of
hoping when these lins com to hand that they may find you and the children
in teh same like blessing
there is a great eal of sickness in our compeny
nun of it yet has proved fatal
we have the mesels a mong us
there is 10 in my mess and 5 sick and complaining
bob McCan has the mesels
Ben Jonson has them but broak out
bob is just taken them
they have went all threw the southern arma and they have in a great many
regmts hear been very fatal owing to there expsure
one Arcansis regement [Arkansas regiment] who had been transfered hear after the mesels had
got among them that they was bering one a day but the worst that is the
matter with our regement the cold that we caught in Lousina [Louisiana]
I think as soon as we get over that we will be healthey
we have good tents and plenty of straw to sleep on
I am as yet well pleased with our fair
we have plenty to eat and to sleep on
we have not received our arms yet and nun of our compeny has been out on a
scout yet
the balance of the regement or at least a greate many of them has
we was the last that got hear and a mong the last that hot horses
I drew a horse
I got a bout the fifthy chois and I did not like him and I swaped with Hogue
Person for one that he has got that was cripled by a kick
he is a splendid horse and is improving very fast
when I get upon him I think that I am a hoss back
we all have very good horses
we have not had now fight yet thoe times has been very exciting except one
little brush that some of our boyes had who went out on a scout the other
ther other day
there number was 40 commanded by major Harrison our formore Capt
they descovered a number of infintery about 400 and about 40 cavleraly and
Major Harrison and 20 of his men made a run at them killed 2 that they new
of and tuck 2 prisons and made there excape
our boyes had taken 3 prisoners that I have seen and they all was native
borned Ketuckyions
I went up in town yesterday and went in to the prison where they had about
20 linkonits [Lincolnites] one of which was a Capt in the linkon [Lincoln] arma and they look
just like anybody else
I talked with the Capt
he said his name was D Penn and that he had a brother in the sothern arma
he stated in referance to his case that there was only one step between
right and rong and he had fell on the rong side
it seems strange to me to see men taken prisoners who are flesh of our flesh
and bone of our bone
I expected to see somthing great when I saw a linkonite [Lincolnite]
I ran to see the first one that was brough in to our regement as toe thate
was a monkey to be exsebited and when I got to the gard hous I had to ask
which he was and they pointed him out to me and to my stonishment he looked
like anybody els
Capt King has been very porily for several days unable to attend to his
buysness
he porticularly requested me to cend his respects to you and all of the
neighborhood that he wished to be remembered by all
Dear Ann I have given you all the news that I think will interest you in
referance to matters hear
I hear news a nugh hear in one day to fill up a quaire of paper and maby all
turn out to be fauls
we have been more than onse been ordered to stay inside of our lines fore
a hole day not knowing what hour we would have marching orders
3 dayes a go Capt King cent me word being the head of our mess that he
wanted me to tell all the boyes that he wanted them to put there things
all where they could lay there hands on them and for all to bee at there
post that he expectted to receive marching orders
at 4 o clock that eveing adn that [unreadable] arma was in 12 miles of our
campes and it has turnout to bee fals
this picket ofes out and comes back and reports what he has descoverd and
a nuther goes out and he reports and so on and that is why so many fals
reports get out but it is a stuborn fact that we are in a enemy land and
that a fight is inefitable and I think that we will be redy when it may
soot them
[unreadable] the gineral in command of this division of linkon [Lincoln] arma it is
said said cent general Johnson word who is at the head of our command that
this day was a weeke a go that he ment to eat diner in Bowling Green
Jonson sent him word that if he did he would take super in hell
I think if we are not attacked in a short time and we get every thing redy
that we will attack them
Ann I can only say to you to take the best cear of your self that you can
dont despair of never seeing me a gane
I feel just like I will see you and the children a gane
I cand a madgin while I am writing this lovely sabath evenig that I see
you and and Sarah Jane Davy Wiley Margret all down at friend neds and that
you are about now calling them up to start home and perhaps trying
get John ppetis or William to go with you all
such thoughts is passing threw my mind
tell Ned and Miss Graham that I have not forgot the many pleasurefull hours
that we have spent together nor never will and that I hope to spend some
more if it is 20 years hence
I have not received a wor from you since I left
I am excedingly anxous to hear from home
I want you to write to me onst a month and I will write to you every
2 weeks or oftaner
I have writan you 4 times since I left home
2 to Ned
I have got now ancer from ether of you
direct you letter to Bowling Green Kentucky
if we leave hear this winter they will beforided to us
Dear Ann I must bring my letter to a close for the want of room and it is
nearly dark
when I commensed I thought I would only drop you a fiew lines and I have
kept writing utile I have filld all the space I have
my pray is and shall bee to god that he may spair us to meet and see each
other a gane
it seems to to me that if I could see you and the children that I would be
willing to die
your affectionate Husban untill death

E H Ross

[The following letter was written on the back of a letter to his wife Nov. 10th 1861]

Friend McMed
[I take] this oppertunity of dropping you a fiew lines to let
you know that I have not forgot you
I am well except a cold
I feel better than I have in a long time
I hope when you get these lines that you and family may bee in the same
blessing
I have now nws to write to you only what I have writen in the first of this
letter that dutless you will see
me I have seen the monkey and a yanky [Yankee] prisioner and various othr animals
that I know walking about
you may thank your god that you never come hear
if you were and could see the breat b beag Kentuckins that are stopping
round hear doing nothing you would be glad to
that is all that dissadisfies me to think that I have left wife children and
all to come hear to pertect there person and propety and they longing round
doing nothing for them selves nor for any body els
I would advise all my family if they go into the survis at all to go in the
state
it a longway hear and a mity bad rode
I assure you a I dont feel all together like I was at hom like I would if I
was in Texas
I guess by the tiem I write to you a gane that I will have something to
write
I will git to go out in to a scout in a fiew dayes and every scout that
goes out gets more or less prisioners
from what I can find out there is more people turning out in to the survise
than any other state in the south accordan to popilation
it all a joak about there beeing plenty of arms hear
we havent got now arms yet only what we brought from home and there is about
60 to each compity that has arms and heap of them is sick and not able to
use them so when they want to go a scoutting we borey from one another
as you know that is our buysniss to scout
we are Texas Ranger in Kentucky
we go from 40 to 200 in a body and just rode and strowel about and spy out
take every linkonite [Lincolnite] we can find and prove it on him and there gun and horse
and so on
look over my mitakes bad speling
write to me soon
remember be in your prars
your friend until death

E H Ross

Edward Hampton Ross Letters. Wharton County Historical Museum.