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Civil War Letters

                                        Palaski, Tenn 
                                        March the 2^nd 64

Mr. R S Crystal

Dear father this is a beautiful morning and I find my self seated at my desk tryin to write you afew lines to let you know that I am well and hope if this ever reaches you it may find you the same.  Ben is well and sends his best wishes to all. He got a letter from Uncle George last night but he did not say whether you was well or not. Infact he didn’t say any thing about any of you his letter was to and about Ben and Ben only. I hav been thinking that I would hear from home some time but I hav almost quit thinking so now for every body is getting letters but me and I believe that I hav written as many or more letters than any of them.  I wrote to you from davinport Iowa on the 6^th and I think it is time for me to hav an answer from it but no answer has come yet but I think I will get a letter from some one to day.  I hav nothing new to write you so I will close Oh yes I forgot to tell you that William A Kinsey is ____ of the third albama colored Regt. He is no longer a member of Co. D.  I will now tell you what I am doing and then close I am not doing any thing I hav tried to get a team but failed in that.  So I am not doing anything I hav not done anything since we came back nor I am not going to do any thing unless they give me a team.  Colonel J B Weaver is Commanding the post and our Regt. is doing provost guard duty.  So hoping to hear from you soon I close

 

                                                                                                James A Crystal

 

  Pulaski, Tenn
  March five 64

 Mr R S Crystal 
 Esteemed brother

                                      This morning I seate myself for the purpose of writing a few more lines to you.  But it is not becos I ow them for I do not I have wrote too letters to you since we returned and have received none from you yet. But as I am out of luck or that is a military freze we have for it . I am on what we call the Ded List, and consequently canot content my self on imploy my time in a more plesant way than this.  James received a letter from you yesterday and had wrote to you in the morning before he received yours and he sayes that he dose not think it necessary to write too. Letters to one person in one day he thinks if he was to write to letters in one day to you that you might get them both at once and you would answer them both with one letter. And he sayes he must have as many letters as he writes him self.  James is having a good time he has no duty to do as they have not gave him a teem and they cant make him stand guard. His helth is good. Thare is a number of the boyes quite unwell. Three or four ar in the hosital and I belive some of them have the small pox.  We have had 8 or 9 death in the Regiment since we returned but none in Company D. yet.  I am a fraid that we ar going to have grateal of sicknez among the men that have been at home. For it semes to hurt us just as bad now as it dose the Recruits that we have heare but I am confident of this one fact we will have anough well men to whipe all the Rebes that ar in existence and that is all that necessary or could be wished for.  Well from what I can lurn we are to leave this place the tenth of this month and that is close at hand we will cross the Tennessee river and I think it is proble that we will go to Huntsville Alabama and remain thare until we get this rail road opened to that place.  But I cannot tell any thing for certain we may take the field as soon as we leave this place.  Time can only tell and of corse must and will tell all things. And I for one want time to bring something about for the _____ of the dy besides war and that soon we want peace and peace we must have if we have to fight for it. And I am thinking we will have some fighting with in too months now at most.  Well my sheet is large and I am unable to fill it.  Since I began to write this letter one of our boyes has been taken to the small pox hospital. And I must tell you that James has had the carrie alloyd since we came back.  But it did not hurt him a bit.  The small pox is getting plenter heare every day.  We have had a few pretty dayes.  The Citazens have planted their gardens at least a number of them.  The Citazens had a union meating heare since we came back. And I wouder think thare was over a regiment of butternuts present on that day. But as too their proceedings I have not heard. But a little and that was this after the meating had ended and the most of them had gon home that way. At all events that night our general’s had the most of their Ordlyes horses stolen.  So I think those men had to walk to town and if they ar like any other sensible men would prefur riding when they could get a good 1 rig and they helft them selng to a number of the horses. And just as I presume that some rebel officer is riding those same horses to day. General Dog [General Dodge] has gon to attack the Rebels at Decater.  Thare is about 2 thousand rebs at that place and a fight is expected now at any time . and if they will stand and fight, Little G. M. Dog will show them a trick with a hool in, he is my man every time and had we plenty of men like Dog in hy positions we would not get men slaughtered.  I presume you have saw the account of that florida expectation such a man deserves hanging.  Well as I am played out for something to write I will give you the prices of som articles heare Tobaco is worth 200 per pound, butter 75 eggs 100 per dozen molasses 400 per gallon and one point of conelenst milk one dollar onions 15 cents per pound cheese 50 per pound and every thing else in preeaportioon.  So you see if a man is unwell and cant eate the soldiers rations and he has to go to the sutlerz to get something that he can eate a very sick man can soon distroy a month pay at those figers but it all right we will all be at hom again in one year from this time.  Well I comensed writing this letter this morning and I concluded not to finish it until the mail came this evening thinking that I would get a letter from you and the mail came but no letter for me So I will close this and await an answer.  I have written to all of you and have got but one letter and that was from Brother George. Give my love and best wishes to all the Crystal family, Excuse poor writing and all mistakes of which doubtless you will find many  I hope this may find you in the best of helth So I bid one and all good By. From your unworthy Brother

                                                                        Benjamin F Crystal

! P.S. it has just comensed raining again. Please write soon

                                                                  !!!!! B.F.C.

Pulaski, Tenn  
March 14^th 1864

Mr. R.S. Crystal,

Dear Brother,

Yours of Feb 27 has been received and glad was I to heare from you and the rest of the family.  My helth is good.  James A. is well and I am truly thankful that we ar blest with this blessing and I think this is the gratest of blesings that is confered upon us for a man sees enough hard ships a soldering with good helth and with out his helth he had better be at home if he has one.  We have a good meny sick heare now.  We have had one dy since we came back and thare is one or too more of Co. D that must dy soon.  The Small Pox is getting very plenty heare but it dose not seme to be fatal.  Our Doctors deserve hanging up by the heells. Some of our boyes has the Small Pox and they would let them stay heare with us boyes until they would brake out.  I sleep with one my self until he was covered with soors and then they would send them to the hospital.  This is one way that those fine haired chap so called Doctors dose their duty.  If you see W.A. Hunt you can tell him that his brother is very sick with the fever.  I received a letter from Mayan Bogs and she said that she was glad to heare from me and ownes they was all well.  W.B. Wilson opened his hart and wrote to me since I came back and one from Greeks and one from Mrs. Wm Cartright and it semes as all ar well so far as I have heared.  I receive one or too letters a week from Elecia.  This is my first one from you and I have wrote this is the forth to you and I have to John and to George and George again but have had nothing from any but Brother George.  I have had one from him and that all I have nothing. Important to write this Evning to you the wether is butiful the Peach trees ar in bloom and the Rebels guardens ar covered with butiful flowers.  I will send some of them to Isabelah and Trissy.  We ar dapraved of news all together for some cose and I know not what we get no papers but a little Rebel Sheet that printed in Nashville and once in a month we get the Cincinnati comercial and you know what that is your self.  Well I close for this time hoping to heare from you soon I hope this may find you as it leaves me in the best of helth.                                                         

Good By to all

Benjamin F. Crystal

 

                                                                                            

Camp 2 Iowa Infantry
Pulaski Tenn
Aprile 3^rd 64

Dear Father

This evenings mail brought me a short but welcome message from you and I must say that it caused me more feeling than any I have ever received from you.  It  seme to me as if I was going to be left alone in this wide world to rome and yet I can not say anything against it for as you sayed in your letter I was in for it all the time and so I was and am yet and I think that you will have your health better out there than you have had in Iowa for the last eight years oh how I wish I cold be with you on your journey through to see the country and to help you with your work. But it is folly to make such rash wishes for I know that it is impossible for me to be with you and it may be that I never will be with you again for you are going to a country which is so far from me that it almost semes like it is out of the wourld Infact it seems to like I am left entirely alone. But I look forward to a better day. When this war will be over I will be at liberty to go wher you are and live for ever with you.  Father I am a wild boy but I will venture to say that there is not a boy living that has more warm feelings about him than I have or that cares more for his father mother brothers and sisters.  I do not care who he is.  I have been looking for a Pay Master ever since we came back but have not heared of any yet.  So I am sory to say that I have no Greenbacks to send you but I will try to get some as soon as I can and if I get any I will send it to you.  Hoping this may find you as it leaves me in the best of health I close from your loving son

 James A Crystal


Camp too, Iowa Infty 
Pulaski, Tennissee

Mr G W Crystal

Esteamed Nephew in James A letter you said that you would love to heare from me and I have wrote you but have not had any from you as yet and I take this way to let you heare from me.  My helth is good.  This is the first letter that eather James or I have had since we cam back and I would be very glad to heare from you before you take your leave for the fare west with this Great night George I hope this may find you as it leaves me in the best of helth yours till death

                                                                                    Benjamin F Crystal

[NOTE:  The top of this letter is addressed to James A Crystal’s father, Richard Sharp Crystal.  The bottom part of this letter is from Benjamin F Crystal, James A Crystal’s uncle, to G.W. Crystal (George Washington Crystal) who is James A. Crystal’s brother.  Both James A Crystal and Benjamin F Crystal were members of Company D, 2^nd Infantry Division, Iowa Volunteers during the Civil War]

December the 20  1867

R. Crystal

Dear Brother I take my pen in hand to inform you that we ar well at this time and I hope these few lines may find you well and doing well.  I expect that we will be moved soon from heare and I hope we will get a way frm hear be for long any how for it is the hardest place I ever saw in my life and I hope that I wwont see another such a placeas long as I live.  God deliver me from this hell.  Derning hole they have got Price(?) surrounded and have a number of his men prisners.  That is the nues this morning any how nether it is true.  I don’t know.  I hope it is.  This is the best place to degrat men yo ever saw in your life.  We have a good many men sick heare at this time and if they don’t move them they will half of them dy.  We have now we have a but a hundred on the sick list at this time out of this regiment and we will have more before we have us nu have very prety nether heare at this time it is look to day hear but not so cold as it was when we left there.  We have a bout eight thosant men heare at this time.  I think we hat 40 thousant hear the other day but they have gott from heare and whar they ?no and I gues we will go to but I dont no whare we will go too.  We have plenty to eat out heare but if a woman cookd it we_____(rest missing)