J.W. Henderson to Sarah A.M. Henderson (7 August 1862)

              Montgomery Alabama
August 7th 1862
Dearest Sallie, You see from the heading of this letter that I am getting away from you as fast as possible. We left Tupelo last Saturday morning about 9 or 10 o'clock on the train, and landed at Mobile Sunday evening about 2 or 3 o'clock. We then went on a steamboat and remained there until about 3 o'clock Monday morning, when the boat left for this place. We arrived here yesterday evening about 3 or 4 o'clock and as there are so many troops here going on to Chattanooga, we will not get off before 6 o'clock tomorrow morning. We will take the train at 6 and get to Chattanooga in 2 or 3 more days. I have enjoyed the trip tolerably well considering the diarrhea. My bowels have been running off ever since I wrote you last at Tupelo. I had to live on opium nearly the whole trip. My bowels are better this morning than they have been since I left Tupelo. I have not been much sick, but felt weak and bad, and had very little appetite to eat anything, and I s'pose it was all for the best, for we don't get much to eat except hard crackers and middling bacon, sometimes we buy some little nicknaks, but they are so dear we can't afford to buy much. Ginger cakes are 40 cts a piece, fruit pies are about a dollar a piece, watermelons from 50 cts to 3 dollars, chickens 50 cts, bacon-ham 42 cts per pound, and everything in proportion, apples and peaches about 25 cts per dozen, etc. I have always been anxious to ride on a steamboat, but I am satisf ied now unless I should go on a pleasure trip with you sometime when it wouldn't be so crowded. Then it would be pleasant either on the railroad or steamboat. I hope that time will come some of these days after the war ends. You may fix up your tricks to take a trip back to N.C., when we get out of debt and the war is over and everything is prosperous again and plenty.