1861 October 13

My dear little Nannie:
I am grateful for your two last let-
-ters now before me – one dated 9th & the other dated 11th insts –
the former covered one from your Ma (My Mother) to Clark and
on his absence I took the liberty of reading it to see if it needed
any attention that I could extend – She advises Clark very
properly not to undertake to equip the Company he proposes
to enlist and sends a kind message to me for which I
am very thankful – I am truly glad to hear that she
is so nearly well again & if she this winter re-commences
her last winter’s system of exposure & labor you and Lizzie
must issue & enforce a mandamus against it.

Since the weather has grown so chilly little Brown
and I have abandoned our shrub-house and are now more com-
-fortably quartered at night in the tent vacated by Clark – I have the
agreeable care & use of all Clark’s equipments and Callahill
only attends to mine & the wants of Clark’s horse- My stove
rustic stool & writing table are left in the leaf house and
are being used in the writing of this with no one near
me – Richardson & Brown are members of this Company
and not of another corps as you infer –

[page 2]
If you could have witnessed the impatience and zeal
with which Clark labored to get home you would not
have “attributed” indifference” to him, - I know him to be
warmly attached to every one connected with him & what
with him amounts to a fault is that he is not as dem-
-onstrative as he ought to be – He is a fine soldier – would
make a good drill-master for the Kentuckians’ and if he
can raise a Company of Volunteers would enforce such
an healthful discipline as this Company has never known –
Grey takes no care or control of his men – he is very
seldom at the Camp during the day and if his com-
-pany is not disorganized before the spring I shall be
very much and agreeably surprised – The first issue by the
government of whiskey rations as a substitute for Coffee was made
yesterday evening and last night as a very natural consequence our
camp was converted into “a perfect Bedlam” – The Captain participated
in the playful fun with the ropes and by accident retired from it
to play dominoes with a detachment of the men in his tent
just at the commencement of a quarrl quarrel that resulted in
a fight which was being hugely enjoyed and allowed to progress
by the lookers on until I went out and separated the belligerents
by dint of hard work & persuasion – This was not the first time
I have had to do the same thing in the face of Commissioned Of-
-ficers who it seems to me try to ignore the fact that military
rule is being violated – You have heard much talk of the un-

[page 3]
-controllable Tigers and I do not think it will be long before
you will hear of Latham’s Battery in the same connexion – But
it does not behoove you or I to aid in the establishment of
such a reputation for it – Therefore we will only speak to each
other on the subject – Grey treats me with considerable defer-
-ence & in the last day or two suggested that as Clark
was seeking a permanent detachment from this Company
thereby devolving on others the labors attaching to his office
that he ought to resign it and allow the office to be voted
to somebody else in which event said he “you would be
elected to succeed him” – I replied that Clark seemed before
he left to be fixed in his purposes to go home & was about to
resign with that [word lined out] view when I advised him to the course
which resulted in his temporary detail – that I was perfectly
satisfied by ^ ‘with’ my complimentary position as Acting Lieutenant &
that I hoped that he would not write asking Clark to
resign on my account – it is as much as I can do to steer
clear of the frequent troublous brakers presenting themselves in
the distance and my highest hope is that I may reach
home with no charges or suspicions attaching to me – I
have no aspirations for the flimsy honors & onerous responsibili-
-ties attaching to military office and am not willing & will
not make myself a party to the privy collusions that
seem to be necessary for their obtainment – Nannie will [-]
me for sincerity in this –

[page 4]
I will try in November for the longest possible furlough
but fear that I will not be able to secure one for so long
a time as thirty days – I will be in extacies when I can
leave here even for a short time and I shall enjoy it
on the “multium in parvo” principle – First an ambulance
then the Rail Road then Lynchburg then the Old White
House then all the home folks downstairs and Nannie
and Choctaw upstairs – Nannie struggling to breath
in the Close embrace of her own Choctaw – And then
up Lizzie comes about looking so nice as he proposes
I shall squeeze her most to death because I can’t help
it - No! Not it –

I know the Socks you are knitting will be nice –
I am perfectly satisfied with & obliged to the Col. for any arrangement he
may make for me – I am glad he has succeeded so well in making collections
& hope he will not be troubled in paying my taxes – if Clark has not dis-
-posed of Alf & Mat I will try to get rid of them when I am at home –
I can easily provide funds to meet Nannie’s wants & she must call on
me when she is in want – She must get what she wants if goods are high –
She has always been more economical then I wished her to be – The Boots
have not yet arrived but Stratton promised to advise me when they come –
Don’t send the other pair until you hear from me again – Return my love to
Almira – I shall pity her when the Doctor is drafted next year – I have not
seen Claiborne, Con or Jim for some time – I hope Shelton is satisfied at
last – He has not elevated himself in my estimation –

We are very quiet in the Army just now with no
prospect of an early engagement with the enemy – Whilst awake
I think almost constantly of Nannie & when “sleeping I dream, Love!
of thee” - Choctaw

William A. King was Captain of the Saltville Light Artillery

MSS 6682