Kilpatrick, Madison Letters

              [page 1]
Camps August 12th 1864 

Dear Dear Wife 

I received your 
letters yesterday & you can have 
no idea how welcome they were 
for there is nothing in this wide 
world that I care any thing for 
like I do your love and the 
the love of my children. I am 
glad to hear that our losses 
were no greater. Tell the negroes 
to stay at home and not be 
led into any difficulty for there 
will apt to be hanging 
done if the negroes are unruly 
tell them I have been a good 
master, have waited on and 
cared for them when sick and 
now they must fight for you 
and the children if necessary. 
Give them more meat than 
you have been giving them 
have the Stock all looked after 
if the Yankees should return 


[page 2]
Let the Negroes take the stock 
and separate and stay in 
the old fields and not have 
them all together for we might 
lose them all. Be sure to tell 
the negroes to stay at home of 
nights, for they might be hung 
for being in bad company. 
Sow turnips, lots of them, tell 
Antony to clear the bottom from 
where the grind stone was lost 
to the head field fence. burn 
the logs, cut down saplings, kill 
the large trees, break up 
twice and sow turnips, then 
go over with hoes and kill 
all the grass. the turnips can 
be sowed broad cast. you had 
best shear the sheep right now 
get the rams I left word for 
you to get. Fodder will have 
to be saved soon let all the 
negroes pull fodder for awhile 
for I did not save enough last 
year but if you want some 


[page 3]
of them to help about the wool 
take as many as you want 
if John is discharged he 
can have plenty of fodder 
pulled with few hands. I 
should have the sugar cane 
worked for it will be of 
great service to us. if you 
cannot get the bottom cleared in 
time for the fodder omit it but 
we will need the turnips 
for the sheep and should 
have them if we can 
There is no chance for me 
to be discharged they do not 
even doctor rhematic men 
up here. I have been very 
well since I came up here 
can sleep on a plank about as 
well as on feather bed - have 
eaten unsifted bread and 
fat meat with a good stomach 
have performed the duties of a soldier 
with a good spirit - have ditches 
bored with 2 inch auger one 


[page 4]
One Sunday afternoon in the 
rain and then slept with my 
wet clothes on and it didn 
hurt me. we sleep in the 
ditches on planks and are 
about as dirty as hogs for 
it has rained several times 
and the ground is very red 
and we are as thick as we can 
stick in the ditches we can 
seldom leave the ditches without 
being shot at - in fact there 
are minie balls flying at all 
times - a Whitworth rifle will 
drive a ball to [smash ?] a man 
[illegible] house to Dinnies Mill 
and nearly all the guns used 
will kill from my house to 
Mrs. Pearson’s and then there 
are shells exploding frequently 
So you see the only safe place 
is in the ditch - a minie ball 
in falling will frequently kill 
a man by its own weight 
even when he is behind a hill 

[rest of letter is missing]