Tate, Jeremiah M. (fl. 1829-1877) to Mary

Camp near Orange C H Sept the 12th 1863
Dear sister Mary
finding myself at leasure this morning I cum to the conclusion to write you, and give you a short detail of the prosedings of this part of the army we have bin at this camp near about six weeks, and I can assure you that we have had a gay time, we git plenty to eat and have but little duty to do, we only drill two hours each day, from seven til eight A M [struck: til] and from five til six P M, the yankes are very quiett hear I hear of kno movements in Meeds army except rein forsing the army in Tennisee it si rumord that thare has bin three Cores sent thare, Thare has bin a grate excitement prevailing amongst our troops for the last few days, in regard to being sent to Tennisee to reinforce Brag Picketts Division past our camps last Monday said to be on there way to Chattanooga, and it is said that Ewells Corpse will go soon sum say that Longstreet and A P Hill will be the ones to go I am in hopes that the latter may be true if any is, for I never want to leave Virgina to rein force kno army except alabama, and at [inserted: the] present state of affairs I am not very anxious to go thare, I never want to fight for any set of men that when alittle discouraged or meet with missfortions and are defeated in a few instances to crie out for reconstruction of the union, or fall on any terms, sum have throne down there arms and are now skulking around home and sware that they do not intend to fight any more, those men was the first to cry out seceshion and to ware the cockade [2] on there hats in 1860, and say that we can whip them out in in a few days Cum boy rush to the battle field, I will go fight bleed and die with you wher are those men to day skulking a Around there homes and planning sum skeem to give the conscripting officers the slip, or with sumthing liken to a hand stick in there hands hoping round [inserted: with war rumation &] crying out for reconstruction of the union, are willin to sacrifize every thing they [pursess] rather than march to the battle field sutch men shood be treated as trators and delt with according they shood not be tolerated by Southern people, they shood be delt with as General Lee treats deserters tie them to a stake and shoot them til they are ded, thare was ten shot last saturday Near Oorang C H that was a small killing to what we will have one of these days, so I will close the subject The helth of our army is very good at present, and the moste of the solgers [inserted: is] in good sperit, and anxious to hear the result of Charleston the papers stated yesturday that the enemy made adesperate assault on fort sumpter on the 9th inst but was repulste with a hevy loss the casualties on our side nun, as my paper is growing short I muste close by asking you to Write often, for I havent received aletter from you since the Woods was burnd Tell Miss D M Huffman that she write soon and in form me whether she has made the selection that I requested hir and [struck: mother] Ma to make for me or kno for that is my only chance to git home this winter that is to git a furlow to cum home to mary you all speak a good word and do all you can and I will try what virtue thare is in my pen, [Darcus] must write to me soon.