Ark. Little Rock
Dear Father and Mother:
I seat myself this morning as weak and feeble as I am to write you and Mother another letter to let you know that I am sick and have been ever since the twentieth of Oct and am now in the hospital at Little Rock and have been for three weeks today and I don’t know when I will get away from here. Mother when I was at home and sick I could be taken care of but I am here in a nasty hospital where there are a thousand or more sick and of all the nasty scents I ever smelt I can smell them here. I am here with Frank Walalas, Jim Walker, Tom Smith, and several others that you are not acquainted with well. Rod Cott is here. Pap I want to come home but there is no chance. Mother I want to see you the worst I ever did in my life. I want to see the children and I want to see Lucinda but I awfully fear I will never see you all again. Tell Jack that I want to see him the worst I ever did. Tell him if he joins any company to come and join my company so me and him can be together and wait on one another.
Pap I think you have slighted me or forgot me one. I never have received a letter a letter from you yet. Pap you must write me as soon as you get this and write me all the news you know. I would be glad to hear from you all.
I received a letter from Peyton the twenty-seventh of October and he was well. He said he was left alone but he knowed how to root hog or die. He said that he had been in seven battles and come through safe. He said that Bob Gipson and Deavenport was well and hearty. Peyton said that he was agoing to try to get a transfer to my company or to the company that high Gipson in. I wrote to him to come to my company if he could get a transfer and that Captain Watson was willing for him to come into the company. I hope he will come. Our army is all left and gone. They are engaging a battle at Clarington (Clarendon, Ark.) about sixty or seventy miles from here.
Pap I want you to write to me how Lucinda gets along. I awfully fear from what she wrote in the last letter that she run about too much. That is one thing I told her particularly not to do. I want her to stay at home, make her visits few and far between. Tell her I want her to use them cards to perfection. I will need more clothes after while and I guess she needs clothes. As soon as I can draw my money I will send her all I can spare. I have never drawed any since I left home.
I must now come to a close. I have nothing more to write. Pap write as soon as you get this letter and give me all the news. So fare you well Father, fare you well Mother till I see you again,
G. W. Glaze
Note: this letter was written on both sides of a blank Slave Census page, torn out of a book. The form was divided into 9 columns, with 40 blank lines for data entry. The top of the page read:
Schedule 2. - Slave Inhabitants in
____________________________________________
of ________________________________, enumerated by me, on ______________date
Column 1: NAMES OF SLAVE OWNERS
Column 2: NUMBER OF SLAVES
Description
Column 3: AGE
Column 4: SEX
Column 5: COLOR
Column 6: FUGITIVES FROM THE STATE
Column 7: NUMBER MANUMITTED
Column 8: DEAF & DUMB, BLIND, INSANE, OR IDIOTIC
Column 9: NO. OF SLAVE HOUSES
At the bottom of the page were the following subtotals:
NO. OF OWNERS ____
NO. OF HOUSES ______
NO. OF MALE SLAVES _____
NO. OF FEMALE SLAVES _____
TOTAL SLAVES ____
NO. FUGITIVES _____
NO. MANUMITTED _____
April the 16th 1864
On the march ten miles east of
Shreivport on to reinforce General Price
To H. H. Glaze
Dear Father:
I take my pen in hand to write a letter to let you know that I am in the land of the living yet and in very good health, and I hope that when these lines reaches you they will find you and family enjoying the same. We have but two sick men in the company and they are left at Shrieveport.
You have probably heard of our two days fighting before this time and great victory. I will now go on to state the facts to you. The fight took place on 8th and 9th of this inst. At Mansfield (or just below rather), and we drove them back a dam sight faster than they come up. We killed and wounded and captured 7000 of them and besides taken 400 wagons, 25 pieces of cannon and about 15000 small arms and great deal of ammunition. Our loss amounted to 1500 killed, wounded, and missing. That is General Taylor’s official report so I learn today. Four of our company was wounded, nary one killed nor missing. Silvanus Echols was very bad wounded in the left shoulder and arm, Tom Smith was slightly in the head, Wesly Shelton was slightly wounded in the side, Jim Kerin very badly wound in the head. They will all get furloughs as soon as they get able to travel. We lost a good many of our officers. General Muton was killed, General Walker was slightly wounded, Colonel King was wounded, Major Sains was killed.
We lost the best cavalry general we had on the 12th of this inst. though he played the devil with them so I understand. The yanks were moving their gunboats when coming up the river above Camta (Campti) and Green’s cavalry surrounded them with artillery and captured three gunboats and thirteen transports. This is the report. Billy Allen and Billy Parsen is missing, supposed to be captured. John Arberry was killed dead […] Wetherford was wounded in the knee and a great many other that you will be apt to hear of.
I have a bad chance and but little time to write. We are on our way to help old Price clean up old Steel. That is, Walker’s division is. General Muton’s division and Green’s cavalry were left above Natchitoches to keep Old Banks back. Pap I could write a great deal about the fight if I had time.
Pap if Henry has to go into the service I want him, if he will and you are willing, to come and join my company. If he will I can get sixty days furlough. I would like to have him with me. I don’t want him to come if he can keep out. If he joins cavalry I would like for him to go with Jack. Pap I want you to answer this letter the first chance you have by hand. The mail is so uncertain and let me know whether Henry will come or not. I understand that Jack is at home.
This letter will come to hand by the politeness of Mr Colwell and I want you to send one by him when he comes back. Tell Lucinda that I received my fishing line today but no letter. I also received tow pair of socks and a pair of galluses and when the fight took place all of our clothing was sent to the rear and stored away at Ketchi and I guess that will be the last that I will ever see of them. So my best clothing are all gone. I am nearly naked. Tell her that she must try to make me some pants and send to me the first good chance. I’ve got no coat. I had a good coat but I never expect to see it again. If I had of knew that they were going to store them away I would not let them go. I though they were agoing to run them back to the rear as usual.
I will send Lucinda a likeness case and ten dollars in it and I want her to have her likeness taken in it the first chance she has. If she can swap it off for a larger one to do it; if not, have it taken in that. Tell her to fix herself up in the best rigging she has got. I received a letter from her the evening of the first day’s fight. I will give her an answer to it the next chance I have. Let her read this letter. I have not received but 3 letters from since Christmas.
Pap I advise you to keep your cold. Confederate money is getting to be worth nothing. I want you to pay off my doctor bills for me. Pap I will send you a load of cannon powder.
So I must now close my letter. Give my love to Mother and Lucinda and the children and share a great portion for yourself.
G. W. Glaze
To H. H. Glaze
I will also send you 25 dollars in this letter. If you can use my money to any advantage do it. I would be if you would buy a piece of land.
Submitted by Marjorie Southard