Wall, William B

December 9th, 1864

It has been a long, long time since I recvd. a letter from you. Your last was written Oct. 21st which I recvd. three or four weeks ago. I feel confident you have written but I can't understand why none have reached me. We have had several mails recently. I don't blame you for their not coming. I will get them after awhile. I have written you several short & hasty notes since the fight at Franklin Nov. 30th. Informed you that Frank Robinson was killed in the field. Lt. S.B. Brown had his right arm broken between the shoulder & elbow. He will not lose it & will eventually recover perfect use of it. He is at a private house doing well. One of the Cooper's, member Comp. I, shot in the face, not dangerous, Barnett very slightly wounded, no other of your acquaintances were hurt, no one else of the Comp. hurt. Walter Chapman came out safe. Our Regt. lost 18 killed & 32 wounded. We lost eleven Generals killed & wounded, six killed & five wounded. Our loss was very heavy, about five thousand killed & wounded. The Federal loss was not so great. They were behind strong works. They left Franklin in the night after the battle. During the engagement I was on a high hill on the Columbia Pike over looking the town & battlefield. I had a perfect view of the whole engagement. The strife was desperate & furious. Lasted only a few hours but in that brief period many hundreds were slain. Night closed the scene from my view though it did not end it. About nine o'clock at night we attacked them again. About light the next morning I visited the battlefield. The sight was indeed a melancholy one such as I will not attempt to describe. You can only judge how sad I felt. I wrote you of visiting your Uncle Bob McLemore & Aunt Bithunia Figures. The families of all are in usual health. Cousin Addie the same. Mit is pretty & agreeable. Ida Figures is very pretty & interesting. I have seen Sallie twice. She is rather pretty & fine looking. She is very much like you. I think she is a star girl. I love her a great deal. She is anxious to live with you & says she is coming the first opportunity. I don't know what is best for her to do under present circumstances. If I knew the enemy wouldn't visit us in Panola any more I would ten times rather she were there, but as it is I don't know what to tell her to do. She has been teaching school at a Mr. Mayberry's six or seven miles from town. Some kin to her & excellent folks. She is not teaching just now. Since our army came up there has been so much excitement she thought best to suspend at least for a time. The weather is pretty cold. Snowed some today. I am doing pretty well in the clothing line but would not object if I had a nicer coat just now. But there is no chance to get any from home now. You had better not try to send any. You are getting anxious to know when I am coming home. This I can't answer you. There is no such thing as furloughs now. I don't know when there will be. I will probably not as long as we stay up here, but I have no idea where we will be one month from now, whether here, in Kentucky, or Miss. I hope we will be able to hold this country & go into Ky. I wish you to write me. Let me know particularly how your health is & what your prospects for meat & bread. How are you making out for money. We are camped in four miles of Nashville. How long we will remain here I have no idea. Our Army is in fine health. My health is excellent. Do you know anything of Capt. Crozier or Kelly Oliver? Tell all the darkies howdy & give them my respects. Tell them I hope they are getting on as well as usual. Has Bro. Jo written you whether he intended letting me have Edmund [he is referring to a slave]. I have not heard from him lately. If he concluded to let me have him you will have to have some cotton packed & sold to pay for him.

William B. Wall