Charles Roberts to Maggie Roberts (24 December 1864)

              Reserve Train near Columbus Miss
December 24th 1864"
My own darling wife,
I am once more in camps and I dont
think I can spend Christmas Eve any better way than by writing
a few lines to my much beloved wife. I wrote you from Meridian
and informed you that I was there patiently or rather impatiently
waiting for the train. I left that [benighted] and dismal hole
about [noon], too late to make connection with the train at
Artesia for Columbus and there being no chance of any shelter
for the night at the latter place, I remained on the cars
and went on to Okolona – We arrived there about daylight 
and left again about seven oClock – I then had to remain in
Artesia until [7 ½ oClock in the Evening and arrived at Columbus
at 9 o’Clock – At the hotel I found a man waiting for me with 
my mule, which I can assure you was a welcome sight for 
in consequence of high water, I had to go some distance up
the river making it fully twenty six miles to camps. By 
some mistake in the day of the month, which I must have
made, I found I had one day to spare, consequently my
losing a day on the cars by missing connection brought 
me to Columbus the day I appointed and saved me the
unpleasant necessity of walking to camps. I arrived just in
time to assist in making up a team of forty wagons to go to the
front – They started this Evening and we have orders to send 
the others as fast as we can get the mules exchanged. I think in
about two weeks the whole of the train will start for Tenn – I may
go myself before this but I dont think I shall as I want to remain
until the [teams] and wagons are turned over to some Quartermaster
and I can get receipts for Maj Baylor’s proportion and see the
baggage stored at Columbus or Aberdeen – which will take at
least a week or more."