Georgia: Chattooga County: Civil War Letters, Correspondence between Aaron M. Sewell and Louisa Dorsett Sewell, his wife ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store this file permanently for free access. This file was contributed by: Linda Harris Weefuddled@aol.com ==================================================================== Correspondence between Aaron M. Sewell and Louisa Dorsett Sewell, his wife. Louisa was the daughter of John R. Dorsett and Harriett Harlo[w] and granddaughter of Elijah and Anna Richardson Dorsett of Chattooga County, Ga. Sunday, February 7th Vicksburg Miss Lousia My Dear companion As Capt Pitner of Our Regt is going home I thought I wou[-] ld write to you agan It is raining Some this morning but it seems to be fareing of now there isent no news in camps this morning it is some thing strange to here the cannons roaring here They Bumbared Each other more or les every day But they dont do much damage they killed one of our men yesterday morning We are doing no Duty but Picketing we go by Regt.. Out time is to morrow I hope we will all get back safe with no one hurt it is reported that there is several of the best oficers of the north gon home & several without permission there is Peace promised us in may we are not Shure that pea[-] ce will be made then but I am Shure of one thing & that [illegible] we dont get what was promised us I will go home about the first of may if not sooner I hope we all will get home then & quit this werid thing the war is composed of privates & I suppose over too thirds of them are poor men that is needed at home & i am in favor of them having there rites I am in favor of the privates going home & then who would carry on the war when the oficers wouldnt you know. page two There hasnt been nothing gande yet by this war & we mite stay here till we are all killed off & yet nothing as com[-] plished yet.. It seems that our leading men ought to bring about peace just the same as to make war & therefore say eye let us privates of[f] boath sides bring it to a close by disbanding & return to our home I see hundreds of men What is as stout as I am or ever was that isnt in the army nor they dont expect to be.. if this is the unfare[-] est thing to take it all in[-] consideration I ever knew of is there any justice in such i leave it for you to answer I hope to here from you on this now in your answer to this If everyman had a took an active parte in it & come out rite i would not had any room to have said a word but get how hard to think that some will not do nothing that has property at stake it will be worce than it is I think.. Louisa you must not take me to be nothing but just what I am I am a man that wants my rites & my rites unless you can see from this that I want you to have your rites tell you Pa to go or you go to the clerke office & draw your money if you are intitled to any whitch I think you are there is men in our company that there wives have drawed Page three money that is in better circum[-] stances than I am you are intitled to something & go & get it you will nead it to buy me material for cloathing for I cant gave the prices that we have to pay here for garments I will nead some in the summer but I cant tell at present what it is yet.. I lern that you can get yarn cheaper than you could when I was there you can by the chane & make some jeans & some liney & some white coten cloths don't understand that I nead them now for I have plenty if you can get the yarn may try to make me some cloth if you cant get it now you can after shur of sheep if Mrs. Echols has any Se if you can get it or it she has any you get it.. Lou I am sorry that I lost your like[-] ness but if was not like loosing you but next thing to you if you can get one have it taken for me & if I get It I will try to ceap it you must keep it till I come Lou The shure[-] est plan is to send letters by hand to me send one every chance you can for I think it would interrest me to read from you every day so sende one by Mr. Lieut Gilbert I have nothing more to rite at pres[-] ent unless I rite a song or part of a song So good by My dear page four Why Should I be affriled At pestolence and war The fercer be the tempest the suner it is over With Jesus in the vessel the billons rise in vain They only will convey me to you elysian plain There I shall not be tempted above what I can bear When fitings don ascotted his Kingdom for to share From him I have my orders and while I do obey I finde his holy Spirt eluminate my way The way is so delightfull I wish to travel on till I arrive at heaven to receive the starry crown This is the Tune greanland Salley will help you sing it I want you to learn this & several others & sing them to me when I come agan so rite son & tell me all the news so good by My dear your dear husband till death gave my love to all the rest & especially to mothers family tell Mr Echols to rite to me this leaves me in good health & good spirits & hope it will find you the same I will mail this as I am disappointed in sending of it by hand Sunday Feb 22 [18] 62 [ this was probably 1863, not 1862] Vicksburg Miss Louisa My Dear wife After expecting every every mail for some time to get a letter from you & have not yet got One I once more address you this is a beau[-] tiful Sabbath morning Lou I can say to you that I am well at theis time & hope will still have good health but this is sirten by a sickly contry it is a broken country noles & holes byows & sypers ponds we Drink branch water at present & very filthy I hope we will not remain till Warm weather if we do we all will be sick.. there are no newes in camp in in pertickler but that the yankes are said to be leaving but I beleave my part of it We have some bombarding all most daily but not mutch affectual.. Louisa you have heard many thinks said of wht we get to eat I'll tell you the truth now of the present isshew of rations We get one half pound of bacon evey seven days & beef Regularly every three days.. But here comes the Truth it isent fit for human to eat I have cooked three days ra[-] tions for five of us & in the whole boyler there [wasn't] more thatn one or too eyes of grrease that is so shure no joke page two We get peas & Molasses verry plenty we have salt at this time we get no flour attall we get meat plenty but some verry bad meat it is better now Our fair is hard but we make out verry well yet if I can just have young heath I can get along but we eat unhealthy diet.. Our men have captured one yankey boat the Quene of the West they still holde her so said I have seen the ironclad steamer that the enemy have but at a distance of five or six miles they are over on the Louisiana side the river is the line I can stand in Vicksburg & see the yanks pasing up & down the river to be bend & here Where drums beating a few of [them] came over since we came here they come to the other bank & our men went & brout them over in a cunoo.. There os accidents hapening very often on the railroade the track broke in near this plase recently & the boyler bursted & killed three or four men we herd yesterday that the carr sum of the track between maredion & Jackson & killed fifty or sixty men is all ways in danger of there lives to some extente Our lives is not in shured here nor any where elce page three Louisa I am a long ways from you But yet I have some faint hopes of seeing you agan at some period of time I hope it will not be long Oh if I could just get a loving letter from you wuld I not read it with great cear pleasure plese rite Every chance you can send as many by hand as you can as that is a shure plan I send one by mail from Jackson & one by Mr gay of walker co & one by Lieut gilbert I will send this by Mr Joseph Wardlaw he is here to see his Brother John & to try to get a furlow for him but he may fail to do so there isent mutch talk of deserting now but we are all willing to go home & quit if they would let us a[-] lone I think there are some other other remedy than for us to suffer here in body & minde all our lives I think i will live to survive this war i feel so at least it is supposed that the north western states are for us the Eminant speakers of thse sates are all in favor of us now Ilinoss Indiana & Ohio & isa all are fro us they are going to form a western confedercy so they all say But whether for our good I cant say but I hope it will be Mr Warlow starts Tuesday morning I thought I would gave myself time to write & I would write today as I have nothing to do page 4 We have no drilling to do but we have to picket & polease three days & nights a week we are on duty in the mud & water shoe mouth deep Thursday friday & saturday we are on picket 8 miles below we can back thro the rain & mud It is the slickest mud I every saw a person will slip down if we dont be carefull we haft to go on poleace duty in town to night I hope it will not rain We have had some bad weather since we camped here rain 7 coal weather we had some very coale weather. I supposed it would be warm here but i see very litle difernce I suppose you have had some bad weather from what I her Lou I hope this will reach you & find you in good health you and all my connection you are the one I address but I have refrence to all I write to all at once you read this to my mother & gave her my love & best respecks I would rite to my brothers if I knew where they ware Tell Sister Zana I was verry much gratifide to here that P.F. got to go home & see her tell me whether Siccero has been at home or not since I was.. Tell sister Mary to be of goo cher I hope she is well but I fere not it seems that she has trouble in this life but better after death I still Remain your loving husband till Death A. M. SEWELL