Letter from Thomas Taylor to his wife, Sarah E. Alexander Taylor, from Fairfax Station, Oct. 4, 1861, Autauga, Alabama http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/autauga/history/letters/tstaylor5.txt ================================================================================ USGENWEB NOTICE: All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed and copyrighted by: Dr. Gene Cross ================================================================================ June 2003 Fairfax station Oct. 4th, 1861 My dear Devoted Wife: I received your very kind & most interesting letter day before yesterday, but have not had time to answer it until now. I was looking with anxious expectation for an answer to my last, but had almost concluded that you had not received it. I will from this time out number all my letters 1,2,3 etc. This is No {1) I have no news of any importance. The day I received your letter I had just got back from a march of 8 or 10 miles. Our Regt. the 6th Ala. was ordered to Springfield where we expected to have some fun out of Uncle Abe's pet lambs, but as soon as they saw our troops they skedaddled in double quick time. We went out from Camps last Saturday & returned Wednesday. On Sunday our Company was on picket guard. Our brave boys were the advance. The Yankees tried to flank a squad of them but were disappointed. Lieut. Golsen then took a squad of us & went out to scout for them. They had not proceeded more than a mile before they came in sight of them. There were a small company of them however that we saw perhaps 50 in number. Our pickets fired two shots apiece at them & then they ran away like so many affricans. The next day our Regt. went to Springfield & our advance companies saw 2 or 3 companies of Yankees, but they retreated before our companies like monkies out of an apple orchard. We fired upon them & I suppose we wounded one man very badly as we got his gun & spie glass. I commenced this letter as soon as I got my dinner & it is now 10 O' clock at night. I commenced one the day I received yours but did not finish it as I was put on camp guard this evening. I had to drill until late & when I returned I found my dear Brother Wm. very sick with Cramp Colic. I then had to nurse him until just a few minutes ago. He is now easy. I Just gave him 2 doses of Morphine, then a dose of my pills. He got no better. I then gave him a large drink of whisky & put a mustard poultice on his stomach, after which he got better & now perfectly easy. So you know now why it is I have not answered sooner of yours of the 22nd, Sept This evening while we were on drill some one of our Regt. discovered at some distance off in the direction of Alexandria a balloon raised I suppose by our enemies for the purpose of discovering our position or the position of the C. S. Army. It was a great way off some of our knowing ones tried their glasses but I do not know that they discovered anything. Last night 2 or 3 of our Cavalry picket was killed near Springfield. So Rumor says. I think it is reliable report. But I hear so many reports. There are a great number of our Company sick at present of those that came with me J. L. Holley, Jak Doson, N. Durden & cousin Wm. Taylor. But thanks be to God I am still fattening & think I will be able to do the C. S. of America good service if ever an opportunity presents itself. You know my dear good wife I want to be at home. You know I love my family. You know that my heart is with you, but I never could have been satisfied to have staid at home when my country is invaded by a thieving foe, by a set of cowardly skunks whose motto is booty & lust. No, No let undergo the toils the privations, & self denials of a soldiers Life & then return to my family to live in peace & pleasure. Oh may heaven bless you in my absence & protect me that I may return again. Thomas S. Taylor