Jackson, JW to George Hobson

Sample of his handwriting:

Letters to George Hobson from JW Jackson (typed as written) – should be photo to go with it

“Camp at Calhoun, Ky. November the 30^th 1861,

Dear Friend it is with pleasure that I seat myself this Morning to write you a few lines to Enform (sic) you how I am getting a long. I am mending but am not Able for Duty yet. I hope when those few lines comes to hand they may find you injoying (sic) good health. I received your letter yesterday which was grate (sic) satisfaction to me to here (sic) from you. Thare are five Regiments here and we are looking for two or three more to Come here in a few days. Thare are over one hundred Artillery Men. They have several Large Guns but I do not now how many and thare are a bout Twelve Hundred Caverlry here we donot think we are in any danger here at all for the Sesesh are always Twenty five or Thirty miles off. We have not had very mutch (sic) Cold weather here yet, it has been very cold for the last three or four days, and it was snowing last Night. Thare are not mutch danger of us freesing for thare is an old stovepipe stack up at the side of every tent and a nice blasing fire on the inside. Javin (? As to this word) Stafford is still at Evansville in the Hospital yet we have not herd from him since we left thare. They are talking of forming the Brigade here. The Cavelry had a little brush with the Secesh and took a Gun that shot 18 times. I have nothing very interesting to write at present write Soon and Direct to Evansville, Ind. 31^st Regt Ind Vol Co I (J?? hard to read) in Care of Colonel Crupt. Yours. Respectfully JW Jackson (to) George Hobsons

Getts burg (?) Tennessee March the 20. 1862.

Dear friend it is with great pleasure that I seat my self to pen a few lines to you to let you know how I am at present I am well with the except of a bad cold. I received your letter yesterday which was great pleasure to me to here (sic) from you all we got on a boat at fort henry (sic) the 7 of march and we got of (sic) the boat the 15 we come up the Tennessee river we are near the Mississippi line the is at the strong force of the rebels at the lilroad 15 miles from where we are. I suppose to are coming from manasee here and if the are we will have a hard fight. But from what I can learn we have too hundred thousand strong. I hope we will flax (?) them out in short time we have got too months pay since I saw you and I expressed 20 dollars home and I don’t think it will be long until we will draw again and if thare is a chance I will send it home. I don’t need much money here and if I get home I will need it and if you can get anything from Abraham Pratt that James will take you better take it and and pay him. I intend to have all my depts payed when I get home and that is as soon as they can expect mee (sic) to pay them.

Murfreesboro Tenn August 5^th 1862

Dear sir I take my pen in hand to let you know that I am well. Davis is not very well yesterday & today he has the diahrrea but will probably be all right by tomorrow. Mr. Turner is well. He is A good soldier & stands hard ships better than some of the boys. I received your letter yesterday bearing date of July 20^th I was glad as I always am to hear from my friends. Now I must tel you our where abouts we have been on the Guard (?) ever since I have been with the Regt we left Athens Alabama on the 9^th of July took up line of March at 5 p.m to the north ward we marched until 12 o’clock in the night and the dust was so thick that we could not see the third man before us but we moved on without any good water to wash the dust down with then the next day went 10 miles & stopped at Elk River where we was to stay & help the enjineers to build A RailRoad Bridge that the secesh had burned we was there just in the edge of Tenn after staying there 2 days we was ordered to strike tents this done at p.m. we made tracks for the north along the Nashville RRoad after going 3 miles we past through at Tunnell ½ mile long through the hill in the night & at the Distance of ten miles we came to the turn Pike where we stopped for the night the next day we past Pulaski A nice little town with A larg cotton factory thare we went on to Reynolds station ten miles where the cows (?) could run on to Nashville we was there one week & made the Green corn & potatoes squat but on Monday the 28^th of July we struck our tents put every thing on the cans & got on top of the bot cans our selves we then started for Nashville over souse (?) very nice country all in corn & cotton which looks well the first town we came too was Columbia A beautiful place with considerable of education interest we saw A large Athenian besides other lofty towers one town the next was of the town was place was not qite so large as the former place the next & most important place we came too was Nashville. We got there at 5 p.m. got off the train which was pleasant after riding 70 miles on the top of A box car we then went out in the suburbs to see A spring where we past the night. Next morning the word came to us that Wilburn Collingsworth was ded he was in the Ambulance yet on the car we buried him in the cemetery the nicest buring place I ever saw we buried him with all the honors of war he died after a short illness with camp chalice ?

April the 3^rd 1863

Camp near Murfreesboro Tenn

Often remember friend I seat myself to answer your kind which I have just received which I was vary glad to here from A friend well more your kind letter found me well and harty but I feel vary stupid and sure we have bean out on A scout and have just got in we started night before last at eleven o’clock and turned (? Truneld?) twelve miles by daylight whare we fund ourselves near A town by the name of woobery (?) whare we attacted A force of rebels. Five hundred strong we captured about forth I think and wonded several and kild fore. We captured some watons and several other things to tedious to mention. We captured several orses and we got back to camp about five oclock and think we had one man wounded our regiment was not engaged more than skirmishing and that was about all that any of them was engaged thare was no regular ingagement thare was considerable skirmishing we did not have A man hurt in the 31^st. The last joke was that some of thare officers lost his saddle bags and that was full of cakes and pise and buskits (?) thare was some of the most butiful cakes that I ever saw. I took them in and had A fine dinner. Thare was several of them (may be a line missing in the xerox copy) but own kin. Our overcoats on and then the owed them as they run we have orders to start at revalerie in the morning with five days rashens. I cant tell you whare we are going to I will tell you in my next letter how we come out. I think the southern confederacy will soon play out the prison looked vary hard tha are almost naked and I think tha are almost starved out. I don’t care how soon it plays out but we can fight them as long as tha will fight. I did not inlist to fight to free the neegroes but if we can have free by freeing them I saw let them be free I am in favor of using all means to put down this rebellion I am confident tha we can never have peace while tha are in bondage. I wish that the thirty-first could come home and clean out to fight to free the slaves but I am in favor of doing anything that will end this rebellion. I am vary sorry to learn that thare so many rebels in the north as thare is but if we could git home we would soon make union men of them we don’t respect them as much as we do those of the south. I do not feel like writing today and I will close hoping to here from you soon. I don’t expect you can read this write soon as you get this. John W. Jackson George Hobson.