Hd. Qrs. 2d Div. 23d Army Corps

Jamestown, Tenn. Aug. 26th 1863

Dear Mother

I wrote to Father night before last and still carry the letter in my pocket waiting for an opportunity to mail it.

We are now at Jamestown which you will find in Fentress Co.N. W. from Noxville--it is 26 miles from Albany which distance we made yesterday, that is, a small portion of our Div. & a brigade of Cav. under Col. Crittenden which is temporarily under Gel White. The balance of the troops and train are coming in now.

Yesterday found me in Tenn. for the first time. I have marched through Ky. from A. to S. & may go through this State before this expedition ends.

Jamestown (called by the people Jimtown) is situated on the top of the Cumberland Mountains & was once a pleasant little place of 25 or 30 dwellings, but now all is desolation & ruin—but 3 or 4 families here & no able bodied men. Guerillas and rebel troops have robbed the people of all they had in provision line and in most cases, their clothing also—the men are hiding around in the woods or off in Ky. waiting until they can return in safety. Yesterday I pushed on ahead, with a squad of men, to make provision for headquarters—drove off to the best looking inhabited house & stated my wants to an old lady standing upon the stoop—she stated that we were welcome to quarters but she had scarcely nothing to eat--no meal coffee or sugar. & this to be as well as we could do I told her we would come. This old lady & I are good friends she says the rebs took her bed clothes, dresses—pulled off her potatoes & corn before ripe—has a son in the Union army & a son in law hiding a few miles off—says she, thank God you have come, we have looked for you long! I gave her some coffee to make for as last night the first she had seen since last Jany. Lincoln Coffee—as she called it—she thought she never could do without but had found that people could live on mighty little if obliged to. She has two daughters living with here—one married & one single

There is no rebel force about here now, nothing but Bushwhackers some of whom fired on our pickets last night

I wish that you might see the road we came up in order to reach this place, it would surprise you to be told that but 200 & 300 wagons well loaded had passed up it. It is going to be hard to find forage for our mules & horses—we are obliged to send out several miles scouring the country all around for hay & grain. We could not find a particle of grain here. We must subsist, thereafter I reckon, on what we bring with us viz. Hard Bread, Bacon, Coffee (field rations) & sugar& must look out for our train or it may go hard with some. I really enjoy myself—we are going to relieve a people who have been oppressed a long time & looked long & anxiously for our troops, we are in camp but little, and every thing is new to me. This part of the State is wild & rugged, thinly settled & probably the poorest part of Tenn.

It costs me 75 c per day for meals—we have a mess kit but have not yet used it the Genl preferring to stop at some private house for meals. This must cease soon if provisions grow much scarcer—there is one advantage in it however, we have an opportunity to see the people, how they live, feel &c. The other day we took dinner with some old people—while at table our troops came up, lauds playing & drums beating. The old lady had not seen any thing of the kind & went off in this strain—oh dear! God bless those poor boys. I always feel bad when I think of so many being killed & so many suffering, away from home & friends, oh my poor boys! where are they now—they have been in the union army two years & I have not seen them in that time. oh dear, my prayer to God has always been that the Union Army might be successful &c. &c. crying bitterly all the time. If I had not been hungry my sympathy for the old lady would have prevented my finishing the meal.

Hurrah for E. Tenn. & those suffering Patriots—may we push down without delay & may God bless our arms.

With much love for you dear mother & for all the family I remain.

Your aff son

Watson