The Hitts of Mississippi and related families

{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\cocoartf1265\cocoascreenfonts1{\fonttbl\f0\fswiss\fcharset0 Helvetica;}{\colortbl;\red255\green255\blue255;}\pard\tx560\tx1120\tx1680\tx2240\tx2800\tx3360\tx3920\tx4480\tx5040\ tx5600\tx6160\tx6720\pardirnatural\f0\fs24 \cf0 See <a href="http://www.rhitt.com/genealogy/joel_hughes.pdf">www.rhitt.com/genealogy/joel_hughes.pdf</a> for additional \par information written by on e of his granddaughters, Lucile Hitt \par Hollingsworth, and for a transcription of Joel's last letter he wrote \par to his wife a few days before he was killed at the Battle of Shiloh. Transcription s of other documents are in the Notes section.'e2'80'8e \par To all whom it man concern \par The bearer here of Joel Hughes a sergeant in W.N. Pittmans \par Company 3rd Batallion Miss Infantry stat ioned at Camp Ross near Jackson Miss \par has leave of absence on special business for this company to get to Choctaw \par County Miss. and return by the 30th or be considered a deserter \par Descript ion given under my hand at Jackson Miss. \par This 24th December 1861 D Langston \par Lt Comm ??? ??? \par Grenada Nov 13 1861 \par Dear Lizzie, \par I drop you a few lines \par by ?? Dickson'e2'80 '8e'e2'80'8e(?)'e2'80'8e'e2'80'8e to let you know how \par I am. I have had very sore eyes and \par my throat is very sore now with \par cold. Except this I am and have been \par well. W e are deprived'e2'80'8e'e2'80'8e(?)'e2'80'8e'e2'80'8e of the privilege \par of going home at any time when we \par wish to now our officers or our company \par officers are in camp with u s and they will \par not allow any one to go home unless \par necessity compells them to go. And they think \par that those who have guns will not stay \par here more than ten days and it may be tha t \par they will not let me go home at all. I cannot \par h??? from you at all and if you knowed how \par bad I want to hear you certainly would write. \par I have no chance now to write as dickson(? ) \par is about starting and I am called and \par ???? on every side. Mine is a troublesome \par office. Taylor salt is as will be by tomorrow \par \par 'e2'80'8e[inserted at this point of th e letter are what appear \par to be a grocery list with instructions to the grocer \par to about shelled corn that "they do not want it ground into meal"]'e2'80'8e \par \par Lizzie keep my litt le children away \par from the spring as they could be \par easily drowned in that spring \par and don't let none of them get \par burned. I want you to write to me \par immediately and tell me wha t you \par have to eat and tell me what sort \par of cloth you want and how much. \par I think of you all the time \par if I had time I could give you \par a heap of news but they are starting \par an d I must close. Excuse this letter \par for I wrote it in five minutes on \par my knees on a plank on the ground. \par \par Your forever, \par Joel Hughes \par ??? Louisiana Feb 17 1862 'e2'80\ '8e'e2'80'8e[date very difficult to read]'e2'80'8e'e2'80'8e \par Lizzie \par ??? embrace this opportunity to write you again and \par to let you know I have got back to camp and that my healt h \par is as good as it was when I left home. I have got the ????? \par there are several ???? John is ???? \par Bingham has had the mumps but is getting well of them. ??? \par clo th calico ??????? worth from 25 to 50 cents per yard here \par and you can tell Mrs. Gary that I would not buy it at that \par price. It is impossible for me to tell when we will be moved \par from h ere. There is four or five thousand troops being moved \par from this place north at this time and it has been impossible \par to ship anything from here since I returned on account \par of soldier s and government stores being sent north. \par I have bought one barrel of molasses for ??? but they \par will not start before next friday if then. I have also bought \par molasses and sugar for Bil ly and Allen Moore but cannot \par get them shipped before friday. Everything has got very high. Since \par I left here except sugar and molasses they have fallen since I \par bought. Lizzie if yo u want any cloth of any sort for drapes \par buy it - there the sooner the better - it will be higher if the \par war continues. ??????? as much again as they was before \par I went home. ?????????? ?? things that I would like ??? \par you and the children ????? it - is almost impossible \par to send anything ??????????????????????????? and what things you want \par you can buy them as cheap ther e as you can here now. \par \par Lizzie we are loosing ground in the north. The Yankees \par seem to be driving our forces from every position and \par notwithstanding I am not discouraged ther e seems to be a deeper \par gloom cast over our country and it is time for you to begin \par to think about hard times. Some think it impossible for us \par to be conquered or exterminated but hope s are not always \par ????? it may be that you and our children will \par ?????????? and suffer ????????????????????? without \par any knowledge. Captain Pittman stated ????? the same ???? got here \ par I do not think he will be able to attend the campaign and there is \par a general dissatisfaction in the company about his being absent so \par much and they have petitioned him to resign thoug h I do not believe \par that he will do it - as long a she can help it 'e2'80'8e'e2'80'8e'e2'80'8e'e2'80'8e(say nothing about this)'e2'80'8e'e2'80'8e'e2'80'8e'e2'80'8e. \par Li zzie there was some things that I intended to do before I \par left that I forgot. I want you to get Taylor to whip ???? \par every time she insults you and make her know better. ?????? \par ?? ?? i t ??? was one of our ??? last night he was \par a member of Captain Wolffs Company. \par \par I want th hear from you very bad and you must ??? \par to write regularly. I shall have to send the m ost of my \par letters without paying on them as I cannot get the \par silver to pay with and they won't receive anything else. \par I intended to have brought your likeness with me and forgot. \par I f John will come home sometime in March and you ???? \par sent it to me. Please write often and take care \par of yourself and children. I ????? absent but true \par friend until ???? Joel to Li zzie \par Transcription of a Christmas furlough for Joel Hughes. It is signed by Drury J. Langston who was 1st Lt. \par \par To all whom it man concern \par The bearer here of Joel Hughes a sergean t in W.N. Pittmans \par Company 3rd Batallion Miss Infantry stationed at Camp Ross near Jackson Miss \par has leave of absence on special business for this company to get to Choctaw \par County Miss . and return by the 30th or be considered a deserter \par Description given under my hand at Jackson Miss. \par This 24th December 1861 D Langston \par Lt Comm ?? ? Camp \par \par Transcription of a letter from Joel Hughes to his wife, Elizabeth Gary ("Lizzie"). The Dickson mentioned in the letter was probably either David N. Dickson or Gilbert Dickson - fell ow soldiers. \par \par Grenada Nov 13 1861 \par Dear Lizzie, \par I drop you a few lines \par by Mr. Dickson to let you know how \par I am. I have had very sore eyes and \par my throat is very sor e now with \par cold. Except this I am and have been \par well. We are deprived of the privilege \par of going home at any time when we \par wish to now our officers or our company \par officers ar e in camp with us and they will \par not allow any one to go home unless \par necessity compells them to go. And they think \par that those who have guns will not stay \par here more than ten days an d it may be that \par they will not let me go home at all. I cannot \par hear from you at all and if you knowed how \par bad I want to hear you certainly would write. \par I have no chance now to wri te as Dickson \par is about starting and I am called and \par bothered on every side. Mine is a troublesome \par office. Taylor salt is as will be by tomorrow \par [overleaf] \par $15 per sack, mola sses 40 to 45 by barrel, \par coffee 50 to 60 per pound I guess is how \par thry will exchange groceries at this \par price for corn shelled at 75 cts \par per bushel they do not want it \par ground i nto meal. \par \par Lizzie keep my little children away \par from the spring as they could be \par easily drowned in that spring \par and don't let none of them get \par burned. I want you to writ e to me \par immediately and tell me what you \par have to eat and tell me what sort \par of cloth you want and how much. \par I think of you all the time \par If I had time I could give you \par a he ap of news but they are starting \par and I must close. Excuse this letter \par for I wrote it in five minutes on \par my knees on a plank on the ground. \par \par Yours forever, \par Joel Hughes \p ar \par This is a transcription of a letter written from Joel Hughes to his wife, Elizabeth Gary ("Lizzie"). The letter is very difficult to read. It was written from Louisiana while the Mississipp i 3rd Batallion was stationed there prior to its move to Corinth and then Shiloh. \par \par ??? Louisiana Feb 17 1862 [date very difficult to read] \par Lizzie \par I embrace this opportunity to writ e you again and \par to let you know that I have got back to camp and that my health \par is as good as it was when I left home. I have got the ????? \par there are several ???? Joh n is [letter is torn off here] \par Bingham has had the mumps but is getting well of them. Lizzie, \par cloth calico & ??????? worth from 25 to 50 cents per yard here \par and you can tell Mrs. Gar y that I would not buy it at that \par price. It is impossible for me to tell when we will be moved \par from here. There is four or five thousand troops being moved \par from this place north at th is time and it has been impossible \par to ship anything from here since I returned on account \par of soldiers and government stores being sent north. \par I have bought one barrel of molasses for Mr s. Gary but they \par will not start before next friday if then. I have also bought \par molasses and sugar for Billy and Allen Moore but cannot \par get them shipped before friday. Everything has g ot very high. Since \par I left here except sugar and molasses they have fallen since I \par bought. Lizzie if you want any cloth of any sort for drapes \par buy it there the sooner the better. It w ill be higher if the \par war continues. [words worn away] worth as much again as they was before \par I went home. [words worn away] things that I would like [worn away] \par you and the childre n but it is almost impossible \par to send anything [missing words] and what things you want \par you can buy them as cheap there as you can here now. \par \par Lizzie we are loosing ground in the no rth. The Yankees \par seem to be driving our forces from every position and \par notwithstanding I am not discouraged there seems to be a deeper \par gloom cast over our country and it is time for yo u to begin \par to think about hard times. Some think it impossible for us \par to be conquered or exterminated but hopes are not always \par ????? it may be that you and our children will \par ????? ????? and suffer of your freedom without \par any knowledge. Captain Pittman stated ????? the same ???? got here \par I do not think he will be able to attend the campaign and there is \par a genera l dissatisfaction in the company about his being absent so \par much and they have petitioned him to resign though I do not believe \par that he will do it as long a he can help it (say nothing abou t this). \par Lizzie there was some things that I intended to do before I \par left that I forgot. I want you to get Taylor to whip ???? \par every time she insults you and make her know better. ???? ?? \par ?? ?? it ??? was one of our ??? last night he was \par a member of Captain Wolff's Company. \par \par I want th hear from you very bad and you must ??? \par to write regularly. I shall hav e to send the most of my \par letters without paying on them as I cannot get the \par silver to pay with and they won't receive anything else. \par I intended to have brought your likeness with me an d forgot. \par If John will come home sometime in March and you must \par send it to me. Please write often and take care \par of yourself & children. I ????? absent but true \par friend until ??? ? Joel to Lizzie}