Camp Autry - Shelbyville, Tennessee
Saturday April 4th, 1863
Dearest Sallie, as I promised to write every week, I must write this evening or the week will be gone. It has been about ten days since I wrote my other letter. I have very little news to write and I feel so very bad today that I can hardly write a letter. I was on guard around the brigade all day yesterday and last night and it was so cold and windy that I almost froze and I didn't sleep more than an hour or two all night and that was a little before daylight till after sunrise. I thought a great deal about you and our sweet little babes lying covered up in a good warm bed, while I was walking my post back and forth for two long hours at a time suffering more or less all the time with the abdominal neuralgia, for my bowels have been running off ever since I came here and we have had only one days rations of beef since I came, but I think it is the corn bread. We have had only one day's rations of flour since I came. The soldiers here are getting very little cake these days - they say they have drawn flour only two or three times since the battle of Murf reesboro - we get very good this year's bacon -very nice meat.
Editors Note: Lieut. Col. James L. Autry, who commanded the Twenty-seventh Mississippi Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Stones River Murfreesboro, TN, was killed during the battle. More than likely this camp was dedicated to this gallant officer as both the 27th and 30th shared much of the same field of battle during the engagement.
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Citation
J. Watson Henderson Collection, Special Collections, University of Mississippi Libraries
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