Charles Roberts to Maggie Roberts (20 September 1864)

              Hd Qu QM Dept [Pettus] Brig
Sept 20th 1864
My own darling,
Since writing, a short time ago, the army has
changed the base and we are now about a mile and a half above
Palmetto, Geo., a small village situated on the Atlanta and
West Point road, about twelve miles above Newnan and
about twenty eight miles South of Atlanta – We received orders
to move last Sunday morning and went in [camp] this
[morning] or rather about noon – From the Macon road to 
this place on the West Point R R is forty miles and it 
may appear to you dear, rather slow travelling to occupy
two days and a half in doing it, yet we were on the 
road from daylight until night each day – The troops
of each corps march in advance of the Artillery and 
wagon trains and consequently we could not march
faster than the men and then with so long a string
of wagons, there are frequent detentions; if one wagon stall,
it detains Everything in rear of it, unless the road
is wide Enough for the balance of the train to pass – 
I went in advance of our wagons to [purchase] forage
and succeeded in buying some Sweet and Irish
Potatoes and Sorghum – The Potatoes were very fine and 
I made a grand dinner off of them to day, with field
peas and bacon and corn bread and molasses for side
dishes – There is abundance of syrup made in this portion 
of country and I Expect all through Georgia, but they
dont forget to make a soldier pay for it and [when] only
the day previous to the army coming they charged
five dollars for gallon, the now charge five dollars for a 
[canteen] full, containing three pints – The town of Palmetto
can afford us nothing, for the Yankee Cavalry have