Edward H. Ross to his wife - December 15, 1861

Dear wife

it is with pleasure that I am able to drop you a fiew lins to let you know
that I am well at this time hoping that when these lins come to hand
that they may find you and the children all in the like blessing
I have great reson to thank got for my well being
times is very troublesom hear
my horse hassnt been unsaddled but 1 night out of 4
we have been retreting for the last 3 dayes till yesterday we stoped and
100 went back in sight of the mane arma and found that they had not advanct
only as they had crossed the river and had strung out along the rode to get
room to camp
today a body of caveraly and infimtery is going bakc up there to reconoitre
round
I am not going on the acont of not having a six shooter
what they will will do to day I cant tell
we have had one very serious fight up there 2 weeks ago
the yankes occupy the ground the battle was faught on
150 or 200 of our boyes run on to 600 dutch infintery and killed 75 of
them with the losss of 7 on our part
Colonel Tery was a mong the lost which was a great loss to us
Lou Colonel Lubbock is at the point of death and has been all the while
Major Harrison is sick and not able to command the regement - also several
of the Captans of diferant Comps has becom sicly and has retired and gone
home so you see that as a regement we are in and unorganised state
the health of our Comp and regement is improving
we have lost 10 out of our Comp
a fight is now inefitable
if they do not fight us at bowling Green where we are trying to tale them
we will fight them on there one grond
there is only our regement and a regement of Arkansas infinetery commanded
by Colonel Hinemon [Hindeman] and Tilers [Tyler] battalion of caverly that is up here in these
montains among the yankes
we are 25 miles in the advance of the mane armay watching and trying to
tale them to bowling green to where our fortifications is
it is unknown how maney of them there is we think that there 8 thousand now
a cross green river in 8 miles of where we now are and a crossing every day
and are also crossing at several other places
I saw a refuge from the other side of the river yesterday who said that he
has heard that there was 90 thousand but surfies it to say there is plenty of
them
now man can tell aything about the number (of) soldiers by just looking over
them
I am sadisfied that now man knows how maney troops we have at bowling Green
but Jineral Johnson
it is a horable state of afairs hear now
some Davis and some for Linkon [Lincoln] and where we find a Linkonite [Lincolnite] we use him ruf
and if he is not there we have to do with his property
we taken on our scout yesterday 1 niger 2 guns 1 horse and a large knife
from a man who was said to be a Linkon [Lincoln] arma and left his wife a crying so
you may see how things are going in Kentuck [Kentucky]
a man came to our camps yesterday who waas a brother taken a prisioner in
abs arma
he said he is going to go back and bushwhack some of them to get sadisfaction
I could go on and tell you a great deal more about the way we are doing and what
we have to do and what has been don but I will for bear at the fresant
it is a nugh to say that our Texas Ranger ar doing there part in the survis
Jineral Johnson said we are his pet regement
we are more thought of and talked of than any troops in teh file and more
dependance on us
they thing hear that we are worse than comanches indians
I cault in at a house the other day to get my diner
after diner the good old man and lady who was all right on the goos did not
charge me anything for my diner and watned me to bring my horse in the yard
and ride some for them and to see me throw the rope but I had eat so mutch
that I had to refuse to show them any Texas tricks by telling them that my horse
was tyered
I will have to give you a extra sheat
Dear Ann

i have not got any word from your Paw yet and have not got but the one letter
from you
if you now how mutch sadisfaction it affords me to get a letter from you you
would shorlely would write aftener
I sent you five dollers in a letter and directed it to Sangabrel and 5
dollers in a letter that I sent to Ned and direced it to Bryants Station
if it is troblesom to cross the river to the Post ofice write and I will
direct my letter to Sangabrel
I want you to tell Mc to write to me and tell all who wnats to hear from me
to write
I have writen to all that I promist but James Surver and I am going to write
to him and I have not got any answer from any of them
I would be pleased to write to any bo(d)y that would write to me
kill all the children
tell them all about me where I am and what I am doing and that if I like I
will come back agane and to be good boyes and girls and when I come that I will
bring them a present
this is a very dull Crismus to me and one that I dont want to spend a agane
like it
it is dull in camp
all of our regement is gon and on the scout but what is out hunting whiskey
tea
Ann I must bring my letter to a close
if you never hear from me a gane you may rest assurd that I thought of you
till the last and that my affections and (unreadable) are still for you
I want you to bear up under you tryals and dificulties with the fortitude
of a good solder
kind prividence may so smile on us and that we may be permited to meat agane
on earth
it will be the hapist day that I will ever see on this earth if I am permitted
to meet you and the children on Texas soil and I still live in hops that I
will see that ha(ppy) day
pray for me when it goes well
you tell Father and Mother that I have not forgot them and that I want the
old man to write to me and to remember me when it goes well with them
I want to be remembered by all
give my respects to Houston and to all who ma(y) inquire after me
I have said nothing in this letter to friend Ned as I expect to write to him
soon but if you are at Fathers I want him to see the letter and have my
respects he and family
I want you and him to manage to send to the post office every two weeks for
if I can I will (write) every 2 weeks
the reson that I dident write last Sonday was that I was so titely ingaged
that I could not
so nothing more at presant but remains your affectionat husban untill death
shall seperate us

E H Ross

Edward Hampton Ross Letters. Wharton County Historical Museum.