The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-11-07
LETTER found on the person OF
dead Rebel soldier.

dead RCDcl SOI0keEs
The following letter was found on the
nerson of dead rebel soldier, who Tell IN
Tho hattie of Bristoe Station, Va, fought
Some DAVIS ago. The letter is from the bro
Their of the unfortunate man whose death,
with that of so many thousands of others,
10 due to the wicked ambition of the few
bad men who have preclpltated upon the
country all the horrors of civil war. 10
what extent the ravages Of war are felt
throughout the South the foregoing letter,
written in confidence and intended for the
perusal of brother, only bears mute but
ELOQUENT testimony:
THE LETTER.
WOLF CREEK, st. Clair county, Alabama,
Sent. 2s. ls63.-Deur Brother: l embrace
this opportunity of writing few lines TO
inform YOU that we are not all well. Every
one OF my family has had the measles; the
last one has Just got up SO he can walk
about. / have done scarcely any work IN
five weeks. / am very weak, not able TO
do days work. | came home from
Blount county with the measles on me,
and / have had a very hard time OF ii. l
hope these few lines may find you in good
health, I received YOUR very kind letter
dated Aug, 10. which gave us great salts
faction TO hear from you once more, Tor
your letter was so long coming that we had
become uneasy for fear yoa had got Killed
when YOU went up 10 Gettysburg. Times
have got very hard here. do not believe
half the people in this section OF country
have any meat to eat. Meat mere IS sellihS
at 81. 50 per pound, and scarcely any in the
country TO spare; and when it Is to spare
the people do not want to take the Conted-
crate money for it, They look on the Con-
federacv as about conquered, and when it
is conquered, the money Will be dead
Some people are offering $40 per bushel for
wheat, and they suppose corn will sell
some say it will bring $500 per bushel
soon; and, considering such high pri-
ces, no can we expect the women
and children to be fed who are dependent
on their husbands wages to feed them?-
And many of them have lost their hus-
TO do can't tell, and the Confederate mon
ey is now worth only one dollar in ten.-
The privates get eleven dollars per month,
and that is worth little over one dollar in
specie Men who would fight for such a
Government as this surely have not got
good sense. The men are deserving and
coming home by scores, and do not think
they are to blame, although there is about
"A company of men to every beat, hunting
deserters and robbers; but ] believe they
come in faster than they take them out
There have been several men killed by the
deserters, and some of the deSerterS have
been shot. am afraid If the war holds on
home. Some time ago there was many of
our men came from Nicllsburg with their
paroles. l suppose the Yankees took about
forty thousand of our men there besides
what they took at other places. And the
word came last Saturday that they We're
exchanged, but the most of them do not be-
lieve II. Some OF them have gone, and
some say they won't go without they are
taken. / do not know what will be done.
Go not believe they are exchanged my
self / believe our big men are fooling
them, and if We're them and they fooled
me once, and found it out, would never
DO them any more good If l could keep
from it. I do think there is enough of our
men killed and died in this war, and if we
can't whip the Yankees we had better give
up. and let the war stop. think my boys
nave made enough to do the family. But
our Congress has passed a law that each
one has to give the tenth of what is made.
/ think this is Il very unjust law, where
the men are in the war and have no one to
make support but their children. do
not think they should pay anything but
their common tax. The poor men have
nearly all the fighting to do, and I think
The rich men should support the war. |
nope the war may end soon. l can't tell
what we will do for salt, and the Govern
nnent is pressing all the cattle, SO that we
will soon have nothing to eat but bread. I
want you to write regular to me. SO re-
main your affectionate brother until death.
LETTER FROM A JOURNALIST IN PRISON.
The following appeared in the Cincinnati
Times Of last week:
CAsTLETHUNDER, RICHMOND. Va, Mon
day Evening, October 1, lS63.-Dear Times:
We heard yesterday that all the Union
prisoners in the Castle were to be removed
TO Salisbury, North Carolina, in a few days
on account ofthe crowded condition of the
prisons in Richmond at present; and
should not be surprised if the report PROV
ed we'll founded. l am very credulouS in
regard to all unfavorable news. The ia
vorable rumors / reject at once.
The proposition made to our Government
by Commissioner Ould, respecting the re-
lease of the Union citizens, was perempto-
rilv declined, as l knew it would be. I'M
derstand the nature of his demands now;
and if he do not surrender uS-aS he de-
clares he will not-until they are met, he
NAV as we'll make arrangemes for our
burial.
There are about three hundred citizens
here now, among whom RICHARDSON, Bulk
ley of the Herald, and myself are the most
prominent and therefore less likely to be
released. The prospects of the Tribunc
attaches, look brilliant for the war. Ii my
health continue good and my constitution
strong, I expect to die somewhere in the
Confederacy, Of old age. l long since babe
farewell to the North, to freedom, and
every thing desirable in existence. l learn
sundry obituaries have been written of
your humble servant. They are very well
timed; for I am alive only by figure OF
speech / am deader than the Ptolemies,
or the Know Nothing party, or General
Scott, although my tomb stone has not
been cllt.
Ifmy best friend, if I enjoy such anoma-
lous relation, were to see me here, he
would not know me. Indeed, I do not
know myself. | look like q felonions men,
dcant, and in France l would be sent to
the galleys on suspicion that I was an es-
capped convict. No one can divine what :,
Inetamorphosis a gentlemen can undergo
after a half q years confinement in the
Confederacv. It is something marvellous.
NY health continues very good.
presume few of my letters reach me, as
/ have not had one from you. Others, I
know, have written, but their notes have
not come to hand. I cannot describe our
peculiar mode of existence here
I'll could, might amuse you. The secrets
of my prison-house are, l opine, doomed to
die with me. Have written Norton, Locke