The following letter was written by Willard Simpson Wells (1835-1865), the son of Willis Lea Wells (1805-1887) and Druscilla D. Sexton (1813-1888) of Stone Mountain, DeKalb county, Georgia. “Simpson” Wells served in Co. D, 38th Georgia Infantry during the Civil War. He wrote this letter to his brother, George Riley Wells (1838-1919) who served as a Lieutenant in the same company until he was captured at Spottsylvania and spent the remainder of the war in a Union prison. George was also the only one of five brothers who survived their service in the Confederate army. Simpson’s health did not allow for active service late in the war and he was detailed as nurse in Rome, Georgia, for many months late in the war. He died at a hospital in Macon, Georgia, on 16 April 1865 just as the war was coming to a close.

See also—1863: Willis Virgil Wells to George Riley Wells

Transcription

Stone Mountain [Georgia]
March 4th 1863

Dear brother George,

With pleasure I embrace the present opportunity of writing you a line, although I have nothing important to write you. We still have very bad weather here and prospect for another snow. And judging by the weather here, I guess it very bad in Virginia. I am afraid that you have had to leave your comfortable quarters from what i heard, and turn out to marching again in the cold. But I hope you have not yet. I heard recently that Longstreet’s Corps was traveling to the South. I wish Jackson’s would move to the South too for I never want to come to Virginia anymore. My furlough expires on the twenty-fifth of March and I shall need another extension, but I fear I shall not be able to get it for I have done over one extension and I don’t think the same Board will be willing to give me another.

We have been almost jubilant about the ending of the war but I am afraid it was all for nothing for I don’t see much prospect now of its ending soon. At any rate, I am afraid that there will be a great deal of hard fighting to do yet before the end.

I wish you could get a furlough and come home but then it would not be much pleasure to you to see the hard times that are in this country for it really looks like starvation is almost inevitable all over the whole country.

I am sorry that you made the trade with Rhenny for you have bought a dear bargain from accounts, but maybe you can trade it to someone and save yourself. I am not ready to give up my transfer business yet, and I have passed an examination and expect to get my papers approved in a short time and will then send them to the Captain and I shall want you to do all you can for me. I don’t think my health will be sufficient to return to Virginia very soon. My health is very poor yet, but I hope I am improving some for I have not strength to walk but very little at one time and I can’t get up on a horse by the stirrup in consequence of my muscular power having failed and I am utterly worthless to myself or Jeff Davis either now.

Our vaccination sores are hurting us all very bad here. We have been vaccinated with something that we can’t get well of and it’s almost as bad as smallpox itself. I am afraid we are badly bitten in our efforts to prevent the smallpox.

All Joe Brown’s commissioned officers are ordered to Savannah. I don’t know what it is for but I guess the Yankees are trying to make a demonstration in that direction, but I hope they will not be able to take the city.

They are conscribing almost every man in the country between the ages of 18 and 40 years. I heard that they had taken our friend, T. A. Browning, and I am not very sorry to hear of it. Let him go through what we have gone through and he will not be so ready to report a sick man for staying a few days over his time. They have also taken Ziph Thomas. He expects to go to our company.

I am glad that you have got the box of clothing and would be glad to have mine sent to me if there be anyone passing who will bring them.

Tell W. D. Harris that we are all not in very good health. His pa is suffering very much with a rising kernal under his [c____ed] by vaccination. I hope to get letters from you and him soon. Nothing more but remain your brother, — Simpson