Fort Pickering Tennessee

April 2nd 1863

Dear Susanah

I received a letter from you today written on the 27th of March. I was truly glad to hear from you and I assure you that I am always glad to hear from you. I was also glad to hear that your cold and cough had got better. O I am always pleased very much to hear that you are well and getting along well. And I am happy that I can say to you that my health is very good. I wrote to you day before yesterday but when I got this letter to day it looked so cheerful that I thought I must write to you this evening whether I had any news to write or not. Tell Charley that Pa says that he must be a good boy and mind Ma and Grand Ma. Tell him that Pa says when he comes home he will get him some nice things if he is a good boy. Pa would like very much to be with little Charley to night but you must wait patiently and I hope it wont be long till I will be with you. The health of our Regiment is generally very good. I think we are at a very healthy place for the South. We have had a great deal of Small Pox here but I thinke there is but little now and I do certainly hope it will not get another start in the army here. But I don’t think it is easily to be taken one from another as a great many persons think it is. I have seen quite a number that had slept in the same bed with persons when they were broken out with Small Pox and not catch it. There has been ten cases in the Military Prison, but not near all the prisoners have had the Small Pox, in fact not one in ten that are exposed to the Small Pox take it. We still get very cheering news from the Army at Vicksburgh, at Murfeesboro, Fredericksburg and every other Place, but I would rather have less news and more fighting. There is one Rebel here in prison with whom I was talking yesterday and he says that there is no doubt about a great many of the Southern people are suffering for Bread, and we have news in the papers here daily which state that a great portion of the Southern Army are really getting scarce of provisions and that there is great suffering in many parts of the South among the families at home.

Well, I cannot see for my life how a man can stay in the any Army well enough contented to make half a Soldier when he knows that his family at home is suffering for Bread. It is hard enough for me to stay away when I think you have plenty but if I were to add to the loneliness and dissatisfaction of being away from my family the awful thought that they were suffering for something to eat I don’t think I would make a soldier worth having if they could manage to keep me at all. Beside that we have something to fight for, and they have nothing and a great many of their men are beginning to find it out. There is no doubt but what there a great many men in the Rebel Army that if they could get into the Union Army today would rather be with us than the Rebels then there are a great many that are willing to do anything for peace and that is the kind of feeling we want and must have all over the South before we can close this war as it ought to be closed. I still am of the opinion that the war will be over before a great while. I think the Rebellion is on its last legs. When you answer this letter tell me what the folks think about the war. Whther they generally think it is about winked out. I will close by saying that I think that as all other things that has had a beginning has an end so much this war have an end

No More But Remain you Affectionate Husband

William Styer