Thomaston, Ga
July 29th, 1864
My darling wife,
I received your dear letter of the 17th on yesterday. I handed Fannie's to Witter. I would have written on yesterday from 'Colloden' but it rained so hard all day and all night last night that is was impossible for me to write. We marched all day yesterday in the rain, got soaking wet and had to sleep in wet clothes last night. Feel pretty well however only a little sore throat this morning. Witter is quite well, enjoys himself very much with all the young ladies who by the way as I have told you before are the cleverest in the world. If I weren't a married man would almost be tempted to fall in love with some of them. Witter says tell Henry to bring his (Witter's) mare when he comes up and he will send Mr. Patterson's horse home on the cars. Your father wrote to Witter a few days ago and spoke about wanting you to come up and spend some time with him. But I think he had better do down and spend some time with you. Yankee raiding parties are swarming up here and of course some of them will strike Monroe. Perhaps in the course of two months we can tell more about it. You want to know my opinion in regard to Atlanta. I of course have seen nothing as we have not yet arrived there but, judging from what Gen. Bragg told us the other day at Columbus, it will not be given up; he says, "The battle must be fought there and the victory won". Our army was as large as that of Sherman's and when everything is ….... victory always attends us. I have great faith in Gen. Hood, he of all men could have been my first man if I had the appointment. Reinforcements are pouring in daily to the army from several sources and from the signs of the times I think the great battle will come off in the course of a week or ten days. We expect to arrive in Atlanta about the first of August or in three days; it is just sixty miles from this place and we march 20 miles a day. And Henry and Josie think they can beat us loving, just tell them for me that we can teach them three years and a half, and then if they are not smart, we will still be an inch ahead. Don't you think so darling? Why darling, the children talk nonsense! They haven't had a beginning yet. Oh! I had such a delightful dream of home and you
and Eula and Lilly but alas, awoke to find it but a dream. I am often carried in my dreams to the dear ones at home. Some people say we are not apt to dream of the subject we most think of when awake but I am an exception to the rule, for I frequently dream of you and the little ones and I know you and they have a larger share of my thoughts than any other persons or subjects. I suppose you are feeling anxious about my fare. Well of course it disturbs you more than it does me for a eat what is set before me and ask no questions. Sometimes I fare like a prince, but our general rations consist of hard bread, so hard that you can hardly break it by pounding with a rock, and a half pound of fat bacon … it is good though. Sometimes we broil our bacon and sometimes to have a change we eat it raw. We get enough and some to spare. Now about the babies, I know my little Lillie [1] is the smartest child in the world for her age. I expect she will be talking when I see her again, bless her darling little soul. I would give anything to snatch a sweet kiss from her and my dear big fat baby and most of all one from my darling, darling wife. When you write again writhe all about home affairs such as ……. they interest me much. Give a great deal of love to Ma, Pa, Fanny, Henry and Josie and lots of kisses to my darling babies. Write soon and direct to Macon for fear of accidents, care Col. Clinch. Your own fond loving husband,
Nate.
[1] Loulie and Nate's second child, Lillie Nicholes Brown, was born Nov. 20, 1864 in Camden County, Ga., so here again Nate is referring to Loulie's pregnancy rather than an actual baby. I think he must have meant Eula rather than Lillie when he referred to her talking, as Eula would have been a bit over two years old at the time of this letter. How did they know that the expected baby would be a girl?