WATSON
CIVIL WAR LETTERS
Henry
Watson and John Lindsey Watson
September
1861 - September 1864
Transcribed
by Marylee Watson Knight
**Please note that these letters are typed exactly as they are written in the letters.**
(NOTE:
The following is the first preserved letter of those written home by
Henry and John Lindsey Watson)
September
1861
Seven
days a coming we found the cleanest people on the way that I ever saw. When we got up in the upper edge of Smith County we stopped
and stayed two days and went a driving and killed two deer.
Mr. Hood's horse died as we come up and he come with us to Uncle Newells
and he taken Uncle Tom Benedicks horse and Hood and the balance of us boys
obligated ourselves to pay him whatever was right for the horse.
He was here a foot among strangers and that was all the chance for him to
get a horse. He said he would write
back to Panola and get him a horse to plow next spring.
I and Uncle Newel told him if he could do that it would be allright we
thought. He wrote an obligation and
we all signed it with him and if he never returns and we do we will pay him for
the horse. The first Camp we went
to was near Quitman the name of the Camp was Camp Locke. We got there on Friday and left there on Monday to come to
Goose Lake which is about thirty five miles.
We got here on Tuesday night and I hope we will start to move from this
camp on Saturday next. If you want
to wright to me direct your letters in this way Henry Watson, Plano, Collin
County Texas, Lockes Regiment in care of Capt. Craig.
Direct your letters in this way and it makes no difference where we go it
will come to me. Write to me as
soon as you get this letter and perhaps it will come to me before we leave
there. You must excuse my bad
writing for I have writ on my nee. I
have nothing more to writ. I forgot
to tell you about our fair we have plenty of bacon, meal, beef, rice and
peaches. We have no coffee but we
have plenty of tea. I will quit.
H. Watson