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Camp near Atlanta Aug [August] 15th. 1864
My Dear Julia,
I recd [received] your letter of the 10th Inst [Instant] last night which begins to look like your opening the am [illegible text] , but Still we receive nothing regularly by mail, I will Send This To be mailed on the [illegible text] by a young man from Columbia County who leaves to morrow [tomorrow]. I read your letter with a great deal of pleasure, giving the minute state of home affairs, I had almost lost the run of my affairs at home under the excitements of The camp. The Terrible truth of [unclear text: enjoying] under the worst of circumstances we are getting through the most of our difficulties & getting The men in condition to fight, it will be Their fault if they do not fight, we have a mixed [unclear text: and] a large number of Earnest, brave, true men, then all the [unclear text: shirkers] & skulkers in Georgia trying to get from under bullets, they worry me out of my life, by learning when to let them off, & Since I began This letter I have almost driven from my presence two of them which are cowardly knaves

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My Dear Julia,
It has been six or eight hours since I commenced This letter, every sort of annoyance was delaying me, & finally the Yankees began an attack on a part of our line & Genl [General] Hood came by & I was obliged to ride with him to look at a portion of our defences & prepare to resist an assault but as usual it passed off with only a demonstration, I started to answer every Thing in your Sweet letter as it came but having lost the connection & Harrison being pressed waiting for me to get through to send it I must loose The Thread of the narrative -- As to the money matters, my brother is only my agent you do not interfere with his arrangements by his doing my business. Call on him for all the money you want, He only Sells my produce, or borrows on my note & therefore do, not consider That you in any way incommode him -- I will write him about my money affairs as soon as I have a moment to spare. I am glad to hear that [deleted text: you] our home matters are in such a good condition, Give to the needy & distressed

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all we have to spare. I am truly sorry for poor Abbe, She is a noble woman & look into her affairs & help her to the whole extent of her necessities. As to Mrs Walthall treat her as kindly as possible, tho [though] not very agreeable to you, we have duties to perform to those who are in her [illegible text] bonds position independent of our personal feelings, he is an exile from home & a good soldier & Therefore be kind to his wife.
I have recd [received] none of The Things you sent by Milton Reeds but they were stopped at Macon, as I am to [unclear text: just] get the the [the] Things you sent by Vickers. I think the chance is bad by any body on the rail road, I want some sheets, some pants, & some summer vests, send The best I have got for I am literally in rags, & dirty at that, Send them by Capt [Captain] Brewer who will receive Them in Lexington on the 21st Inst [Instant] if you get their [there] in time. The [illegible text] association has broken down -- The express companies are mere dens of thieves, Therefore send nothing except when opportunity offers by private hands. [unclear text: It is] better to give it all to the [illegible text] Than to put it in the power of either of their [illegible text]

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Take the best care of your old [illegible text] , send me some of it when you can get a good chance, We shall all be hard pressed next year & had as well begin to economize in Time. I can not send home for anything. Billy is the cook for The mess, & not well, Jim I need every hour in the day, he rides with me [illegible text] when even in battle, & is careless & untrained therefore I have to rely upon chance & accident to get what little I want from himLinton Stephens has not come up, Alex Stephens wrote me a letter enclosing [unclear text: goods] . Linton is behaving badly, poor fellow! he yields to his weakness at the very moment, that [illegible text] every thing demands that he should be a man! Alas! Alas! He is honourable, true & brave let friendship cover his feelings. The first chance I have I will send home for some of your vinegar, We have plenty of jugs & bottles, but they are nearly always empty, We are something like Indians when we have the good luck to get a gallon of whiskey, all hands join & drink it up, & then do without until the next piece of good luck turns up & we get another. I [illegible text] you to send me a box of wine by Brewer. Buy [illegible text] what