John Edward Hudson

Notes

Letter from J.E. Hudson to S.J. Hudson May 26,1862 Corinth Miss May the 26th 1862 Mrs. S. J. Hudson Dear wife I agin seate my self to in form you that I am injoying tolerable good health hoping theis lines will will find you all well We air fixing up to leave this place I cannot tell where we will go I thought as Elzy was going home I would send you a fiew lines as I cannot tell when I will have the change to write to you soon I exspect to have to face the Enemy I trust that I may escape I want you to pray for me that I may be spaird from this war I would give any thing to see you all one time more I want to see You all as bad as I wver did tho I am hear will have to stay for some time I am very ancious to hear from you I want you to send me them things that [you?] wer talking about before I left My Dear I want you to git a long the best you can in this wourld and live faithfull May the Lord be with you all if it should be my Makers will that I should never return home agin pray that we may meat where parting will be no more I try to Dischagre my duty to god although I cannot say that I live as faithfull as I should tho it is my determination by the assisting grace of god to make my way from this low ground of sorrow to a land of Eaternal rest if we cannot see each other hear in this world it chers me up to think that there is a land of rest where Christins Will Meat and their live to geather forever Sarah I do not Want you to greive after me if it is gods will he will spair my life we should be thankful to him that we have bin spaird so fur I must bring my letter to a close as I am in a hury Send me some ink back by Elzy So no more at present only remaines you affectionate Husband till death J.E. Hudson Ciss the children for me and tell them to be smart [on the back side} Mrs, S, J, Hudson By the Hand of E,W, Sanders Letter dated August 10, 1863 Your letter was Monday morning Aug the 10th 1863 not dated SHELLMOUND TENN. Dear & affectionate wife I onc more take my pen in hand for the first time in several days for the purpose of answering your kind favor of July the which came to hand yesterday & gave me much satisfaction to hear from you one time more & that you wer all in common health. I am thankful to god this morning if I know my hart that I can say to you that I am able to be up & able to write to you although it is with a very nervious hand but I will do the best that I can. Well Sarah I have bin tolerable sick for some time, but I am on the mend now I hope that I will soon be well but I exspect it will be some time before I git as fleshey [as?] I have bin for I am porier than I ever wer since I can recolect. I have had the Diereah for along time & have had vevors for some time. The Docktor has bin giving me medicine for severl days till yersteday & I hope that I will not have to take any more soon. I think that old Cain has treated me very mean by keeping me hear in Camps when I think that if he hed of sent me to the Hospittal I mite of got a furlough & I now mite of bin at home he has give severl recommendations for furloughs & I don’t think that tha wer any worse off than I have bin my self. It may be that if I had a negro or 2 I mite git [to come?] home or if I had a hundred or 2 dollars I mite by [a?] furlough money is the thing in this war, I suppose that old Bragg has ishued anorder to give every man 10 days furlough that is one of every 20 till the intire Army is fur- loughed but don’t know for sertin whether it is so or not but I hope it may be for I have come to the determination not to stay out hear much longer with out attempting to go home whether I go honorable or dishonorable I am determined to undertake it. I never new a soldier put to death for the first offence of desertion & if I can only make my way threw safe I will not ask them any difernce for if I wanted to stay I think that I could make out till this horable war is over & if the South should gain her independence we will never have such times as we did before the war. But I have give up all hopes of gaining our independence & from what I can find out it is the general opinion of everybody that we are whipped & that bad. Now Sarah I have give you my opinion of things now I ask you to tell me what you think of it & what you think concerning me coming home [?] any how. But I intend to rest on a while longer & see how things will work & if tha don’t work rite you neede not be surprised if you see me at home some of these days before cold weather. I want you to let me no what you think of it. Well anuf of that, Well you said that you had not got ary letter from me lately I sent you a letter a fiew days before I left Chattanooga I sent it by the hand of Mr. Beasley which I believe Was dated July the 10 & 11 one by [two words illegible] dated I Believe the 15 & I also sent one by Nason which I believe was dated the 19 20 & 21 &[?] one by Mr. Harrison dated 27.28.&.29 & I got Elisha to write me one the 3d Aug. & sent it by mail now you may no that I have rote tolerable regular you said you new that I was very sick or else I would of wrote & sent by Johnson. you guessed very well about that for I was very sick the morning the [they? he?] left & the the boys had to write for them selves & did not have time to write for me when I am not able to write myselfe. I believe that I have got all the letters that you said have sent me & I hope that you will git all that I have sent you . I sent you $10.00 cts by Mr. Nason & also a pocket book which I hope you will get We have drew more money lately but I don’t believe that I will have any to spair to send to you for since I have bin sick I have had to spend arite smart for something to eate & then could not git any thing fit for a sick man to eate only one canteen of milk I have not had any appetite to eate any thing hardly in 2 or 3 weeks I bought me a dollars worth of irish potatoes yesterday & think that I can eate them. I have thought of home a grate deal since I have bin sick & thought that if I wert her that you could fix me something that I could eate. My dear you say you would come to see me if you new that I could not come home. I tell you my Dear the chance is bad for me to come home I would say for you to come if I new that you could come handy & had money enouf to bear you exspences hear & back I recon it would cost you about 30 dollars to git hear in the cars & I think that would be the best way for you to come if you can git any boddy to come with you & you ar not afraid to ride on the cars as for my self I had rather rid on them than to ride in a wagon you could come from Oklona hear in 5 days. If you come either on the cars or in a wagon start with all the money you can you aught not start with much less that 100 dollars if you come on the cars & if you come on the cars you had better not bring any of the children except the Baby for it would cost too much to bring them all. I suppose that Taylor exspects to keep his wife hear all the time. Sarah if you do come sell your beef first so you can have all the money you can, ther has bin severl woman come in hear lately & if you take a notion to come to see me write so that I will no whether to look for you or not use you own pleasure about it if you dont come I will risk coming my self. Martin will begin to look for Amanda about the last of this week. You herd a tolerable strait tail about us not having but 2 days rations to march from Shelbyville on for we did not have much more than that of full days rations. My Dear have your wheate sowed in due time and have it plowed in well have it plowed in small lands leaving a deep water furrow & if you have it sowed on roling land have it plowed so that it will dreen off as much as possible. You say that ther is talk of giving up Miss I have heard that severl times my self & if tha do give it up I think that all the Miss troops aught to come home & I believe tha will & as for my self I will come if I can possible git ther. I think that this war will be obliged to end soon. if the Yankees dos come in ther treate them as well as you can & tha will not hurt you & if tha want to no what I am fighting aginst them for just tell them it is because I cant help my self. Well Sarah as I have rote you severl letters lately & rote all the news I new & I think you will git the most of them I will close for the present Exscuse bad scribling for I am very nervous this morning Give my love & respects to all the Connections & receive a large portion to you self So I will close by subscribing my name as you affectionate Husband till Death John, E, Hudson To Sarah, J, Hudson tell Bascom and Mary Ann I will try & by them a speling book & send them by Amanda I herd that ther was some at Chattanooga at 2 dollars a peace There is a tombstone that Warren Wilson took a photo of that says: "John E. Hudson, Pvt Co F41 Regt Miss Vols, Confederate States Army, July 17, 1835, Sep. 1863"