This letter is dated March 24, 1864.  It is written by Dr. James C. Walker and addressed to his wife.   He writes from the Hiwassee River in East Tennessee.  He served with a Pennsylvania regiment.    He talks about all the disease that would kill more soldiers than warfare during the war.  He mentions he is awaiting a furlough letter from General George H. Thomas, commander of the Union Army of the Cumberland.  No battle details, but still interesting.   Here is the transcript:


Hiwassee River March 24th 1864
My Dear Wife
Your letter written on the 14th & mailed on the 15th, reached me last night—it being only 8 days on the way. I was glad to hear that you were all well. Gen had a through of the varicella or chicken Pox, The rubeola or Measles are prevalent here now—an allied disease. I have been attending a Mr Mayfield a citizen who had measles & Typhoid fever. He was pretty ill, but is now becoming convalescent. Capt. Reily with Pneumonia was very ill, but now better & I hope he will probably be able to go with us home. There are two of the most serious cases of disease I have treated for some time. The Captain was as yellow as a lemon & he though he was going to die. He is at Mrs. Duns, 3/4 of a mile below us on the river. We commence this morning to make out the descriptive lists of our veterans, & am about to examine, & sign the certificates of all those I find fit for the service. We expect by the 1st of April to be ready to start for home. We must muster out & in, & get paid, & will then receive the order from Gen Thomas to go on Furlough. I think that by the middle of April we will reach Harrisburg.
We got our transportation up at last, and I have up a tent, & got my desk & papers & writing materials, medicines &c. On the night of the 21st Monday night we had a snow here 6 inches deep & the citizens say that they have not had so deep a snow, so late for 20 years. We were all quite astonished to see it, for the only snow we had seen was 3 inches in January at Mung Creek. The Chilhowee mountain is now three days after the snow fall, quite white with snow, and the ground about the camp still covered with snow — it melts slowly. I think you had a deep snow at Fountandale also. I saw this morning some thousands of black birds. The Baltimore blue bird are singing in the snow. I hope the air will soon get pleasant, cold it was, as the cold take is unawares, so enough to be sufficient about the weather. Your party must have been a great affair, you got rid of the old box easily without me — you will have plenty of good things for me to eat when I come over. You really seem more impatient, than I do myself, — the time is short now a few weeks more now & I hope we will meet again, & will write you often & in that way the time will seem short. I am always glad to receive a letter from you, since I seldom get one from any other person. I wrote to John but he don't seem to answer me, I have not received a letter from Billy, Tod or Geo. for a long time. Victoria writes to me occasionally & I am indebted to Mrs Frank a letter & will write to her before I go home. This morning I went down to Mrs Duns to see Capt Reily & Capt Frank Miller who is there acting as Provost Marshal told me he had received a long letter from his cousin telling him about the Party at my house. Frank takes quite a state in his official capacity examming into the legality & administering the oath of allegiance & issuing passes to citizens. You may tell my little Pattie that I wont or wish to see him as much as he wishes to see me & I hope he has not forgotten me, & as for Charlie I will have to scrape up an acquaintance for him again (I have his photograph before me) or in the meantime he has forgotten me. He would not know his "Unky Doctor" now & the little soldier sister who I have never yet seen I presume & will like me if for no other reason than because you do. Frank Walker I have not worked for him, many, many months but get on with me when I return I will make the garden & trim & graft the fruit trees & see to things generally. I have just dined sumptuosly on Bacon & beans, Bacon & corn cakes, coffee with sugar & hope pies. We have plenty of vinegar & "hard tack" and can get as many eggs as we can eat at 25¢ per doz. We get corn from the "Rai's road" for the horses, & get cane tops off of In Gambles Island in the river — the horses eat the cane tops like hay they are so green, We get some canes 20 feet long & use them for fishing rods. Off the island we had if continued warm we would have caught fish to eat — but the cold stopped the fishing.
When I arrive I will examine into your farming operations, & arrange it so it will not give you trouble. I will buy clover seed for on the grain field. I desire to get the ground all in clover Timothy & let it so be till I finally quit the Army, on the hay you can feed the horses & a few cows, with but little trouble on your part. Now I hope you will be patient & content for yet a little while & I will soon be along — I did not intent to write so long a letter, — Give my love to the children to sisters & brothers & receive sufficient for yourself & wait 'til return & remain your absent & affectionate husband.
Mrs. L. G. Walker
J. C. Walker


 



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