Letter home to Eckford,   Jan 15, 1863

well again, at Bowling Green
In 1861, Bowling Green was the capitol of Confederate Kentucky and the heart of the Confederate defensive line. Here, initially under the command of General Simon B. Buckner and later General Albert S. Johnston, the Confederates began construction of fortifications to secure their southern foothold in the Commonwealth. The Confederate forces were forced to evacuate Bowling Green following the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson in the winter of 1862.
  -- www.thinkwestkentucky.com/civilwar/
630115wow

Bowling Green January 15th
Dear Parants

I take my pen in hand to let you know how we are    i have just got to the company    the sick boys are about the same    thare was 11 sick boys left in Munfordsville and 3 of our boys to take care of the boys    Charley was one of the nurses that was left    i am a getting feely well again    H. Blake is with the company now    he is getting rugged again    the Col. gon to Louisville and the talk is that he has gon to see about our pay    i suppose that they cannot hold us any more than 6 months without paying us    thare is some of the redgment are deserting every little while    have you heard eny thing of V..D..Swart    they left him in Louisville at the Hospital and the word came to the Captain that he had run away and they did not know were he had gone

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it is a snowing very hard today and the snow is about 6 inches deep    this is the first snow that they have had here so the people say    it is an auffle time in these tents    now here in our tent it is all slush and mud    my mitens that was stolen from me was brout back to my tent a few days ago    how dose all the friends do and how do you all do    this wet weather makes the boys say that had just as soon bee at home as here    and i think just a bout so my self    but i guess we will weather it through after a fashion    have you got Dick broke yet and how dose Old Kit get a long this winter    you can buy horses here for little or nothing    they ar a plowing here or have been before the snow come    here the nigger wenches plow and split rails as much as the men do    if i live i shall be at home within 6 months    no more
direct [mail] to Bowling Green, Ky
    write as soon as you get this    W Wells

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edited by Peter J Wait, 5/8/2000