BROWNING CIVIL WAR LETTERS - Smith County, TX *********************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm Submitted by Mary Love Berryman - marylove@tyler.net 3 March 2002 *********************************************************** East Texas Family Records, Volume III, Number Three, Fall 1979 Permission granted by the East Texas Genealogical Society to contribute this article to the Smith County TXGenWeb Archives. BROWNING CIVIL WAR LETTERS Contributed by Mrs. Aiton T. Wilhite, 1007 Golf Course Rd., Andrews, TX 79714. My great grandfather, F. Marion Browning, was married in Lafayette in Mississippi, 2 October 1851. My great grandmother writes in her few papers that they came to Texas that fall. In the 1860 Smith County, Texas Census, Starville Beat, they had three sons, ages eight, six and four. F.M. Browning enlisted from Canton, Smith County, Texas in February 1862. He served with F 14 Regiment Texas Volunteer Cavalry, Captain Osborn's Company. He had only served eight months when he was wounded in the battle of "Look Out Mountain" and died in a hospital in September at Chattanooga, Tennessee After F.M.'s death, his wife, Marsena, moved to Hunt County, Texas where he had purchased land. Having known his son, John Story Browning, who was also my grandfather, and another son, Rufus T., I know that his wishes to rear the children to be good Christian men and to receive a good education were carried out by his wife. Mrs. Alton T. Wilhite ----------------------------------- Little Rock, Ark April the 25, 1862 Dear MarSena I once more take my pen in band to let you know how I am at thiS time we reached hear Several dayS ago and I have waited to See what we waS agoing to do before I wrote you we ware diSmounted thiS morning and the boatS that are to take US to MemphiS got hear today and we will leave day after to­morrow we have had the weteSt time I ever Saw I have Set up Several nightS in water half leg deep after riding in the rain all day but I never had better health in my life I have been all over thiS town and Seen all SortS of SightS I have Seen the Sick and wounded and it is awful to See legS armS and headS broke it makeS mv blood run cold to see it We have drawned no money -------------- get it MemphiS if we do I will Send it back to you Dear MarSena you caint tell how bad I want to See you and the ChildrenS if I had known that it Would a went So hard with me I never would a Started but one year will not laS alwayS we are a ------------- in the year and I will come home next summer if it cOStS me all of my wageS for I would give all of Smith County to See you you muSt take good care of the Children and if they take my horSe back you muSt take care of him for it SeemS like parting with and old friend he iS fat now but how long he will Stay So I dont know it goeS mighty hard with me to rite for I have never rote but what I have Shed tearS and if you could See me at thiS time you wou1d Say I waS a pore Soldier it makes me feel bad for a week and the boyS are asking me if I am Sick you muSt rite to me often and rite all about the Childrens and mother I have heard Since I left that you intended to go to your PawS but I did not believe it you muSt Stay at dadS for mother will treat you like one of her own Children for my sake tell mother howdy for me and tell her I have not for got her ------------------- you must kiSS the Children for me and not let them forget me and as for your Self Dear MarSena you muSt do he beSt you can for your Self and I will rite to you when I get to MemphiS it iS not worth while to say not forget me for I know you wont deareSt So no more at preSent but remainS yourS until death Dearest MarSena F.M. Brownng to MarSena Browning ------------------------------------------------------------ State of TenneSSe Shelby Co MeephiS April 30th 1862 Dear MarSena I once more take my pen in hand to inform you that I am well at thiS time and I hope theSe few lineS may find you and the childrenS well--I have nothing mutch to rite we left little Rock on the 27 April and after a pleasant ride of 48 hourS landed in thiS place there is nothing to be Seen hear but implementS of war there iS a grate many wounded and Sick SoldierS in thiS place they are from 15 to 25 buried every day Dear MarSena I have got narry letter from you yet and I expect that the mail is Stopped for they got New OrleanS ----------------------- expect to take this place every day and then it will be impoSSible to hear from you or from me but I will rite as long as there iS any chance any how if you dont hear fran me you muSt not be on easy for it will do no good we will be in a fight in three days I expect for we will go to Corneth--Dear MarSena I want to See you and the childrenS mighty and if I could hear from you I think it would be the happieSt period of my life but I expect that pleasure will be denied--Dear MarSena we will get Some money to day I expect if I do I will Send it back to you as Soon as I can for I have no uSe for money hear and you had better be as Savinly as you can for if you could See the deStreSS where the a army is Sta­tioned it would make you feel for them Dear MarSena it looks like we are a ruined people you muSt try to pay for my land You had better Sell my horSe when he getS back and it will help pay for it but I will rite to paw Shortly Dear MarSena you muSt try to raiSe our children as they ought to be You must kiSS all of them for me and mother rite to me Dear MarSena So no more I will rite in a day or So F.M. Browning to MarSena Browning ----------------------------- State of TenneSSee Chatanoga July 5th Dear MarSena I once more take my pen in hand to inform you that I am well at thiS time and I hope when they come to hand they may find you & the children well I have a great plenty to rite you but I have not time to rite any thing hardly we left Tupelo our old camp on the 29th of last month and went from there to Mobile and croSS the bay and from there to MogoSani then to Atlanta in Georgia and from that place to where we are now Chatanoogia in East TenneSSee we got here yeSterday and I found it a very pleaSt place it is as cool again here as in MiSS where we left Dear MarSena I have not time now to give a diScreption of the country I will juSt Say I would not give my place in TexaS Sweet TexaS for all of the land I have Seen from Tupelo to thiS place aS for the people they are as patriotic as any uS for they cheer uS on every occaSion the ladieS will wave the handerchier at Us and before the cars StopS they are there is SwormS with chickenS and cakeS to give to us No never but to Sell to us at living rateS a Small frying chicken at one dollar eggS at Six bitS dozen if raw and one dollars a piece if boiled Butter at $1.25 per pound and ginger cakeS at one dollars a piece a Small pie one dollar and we cant get enough at that we have not had one bite to eat in four dayS only what we have got at them priceS the gover­ment has not give us any thing in 5 days and I am hungry now as a wolf and no ProSpect to get any thing to eat that I no of but if that waS the worSt I could Stand it very well but to be hear So far from home an never hear from you and the childrenS iS worSe than all of that Dear MarSena I have got nary letter from you Since I rote to you and Sent it by John you ceartainly dont direct your let­ter rite muS be particular about that I got a letter for John the day after he left but was nothing in it I Sent you a preSent by him and you muSt take of it and not think too little of it I will Send you Some more by Pender he iS go­ing to Start back Soon I have not got mutch money left now but I expect everything is mity hy in Texas You muSt try to pay for my land for if I ever get back I would not take a hundred dollars per acher Dear MarSena you like to know where we waS going from hear well I dont know but I expect we will go from here to Nashville and from there to St. LouiS and from there we will go to Washington City and winter for we have juSt heard that the army in Virginla haS killed and taken all of McClinS army and there iS nothing to do but to go on from victory to conqueSt and maby we will get as far as New York by cold weather I believe all of that you know on an empty Stomach So enough of thiS foolrie Dear MarSena I Sent my clotheS all off and lost them though John will tell you all about that I have bought Some more for a Small Sum you may gueSS Dear MarSena you muSt KISS all the chil­dren for me and tell mother howdy to tell Mary to rite to me and all of the fam­ily to rite you muSt not forget to rite yourSelf I have got your letter yet and I would nQt take all the Conferacy for it Dear MarSena I will rite to you and Send it by Pander no more F. M. Browning ----------------- To M. A. Browning State of Tenn Chatanooga July 21, l862 Dear MarSena I once more take my pen in hand to inform you I am Still alive but nor rite well and I hope theSe few lineS may find you and the children well and harty I have rote you two letterS Since I came to thiS place but I dont expect you will get ary one of them Dear MarSena I have not got ary letter from you but the one and I have give out the idy of ever geting one it is heart Sickning to thing that I never will hear from you again I can Send you letterS for a while but that will be hard to do before long I intend to come home next winter if there is any poSSible chance Dear MarSena we are treated worSe than any Set of negiorS you ever Saw the officerS are like a Set of overSeerS and we dont get near enough to eat a little bacon and flour SometimeS Salt and Some timeS non but there iS ------------ give me conSolation thiS war will not laSt alwayS it is oblige to cloSe Some time and than we will get from under them and it will take Some trouble for them to get foolS in dear MarSena I have not drawed any more money and I dont know when I will I have Spent lotS of money for Something to eat and I have very little at thiS time I will Send you all I have got and riSk drawing Shortly F.M. Browning Dear MarSena I Suppoze our horSeS are at home Paw had better Sell him and pay for our land if horSeS are hyar Swap for one that will Suit you and the children tell him to do the beSt he can with him and you must be as Saving as you can for there will be the hardest timeS you ever heard of lotS of people will be compelled to Starve dear MarSena I loSt all of my blanketS and clotheS and Saddle bagS and I have none now hardly and I dont know what I will do thiS winter for blanketS and winter clotheS but I will make out Some how Dear MarSena I would give all I ever expect to have in this world to See you and my children and be with you for one Short day and to get one letter from you now would be ----------------------- I expect the children have for got me by thiS time and never name me you muSt tell them I will be back Some time and then we will move back home and you muSt learn them to read you can make RuSSell learn hiS book Some Bill StartS in a few minetS and I must come to a cloSe I have been gone from camp for ean dayS and juSt got in thiS morning I have got been guarding the rail road train F. M. Browning to MarSena