Cumberland gap
   August the 3  1862

Dear and ever respected Wife
  I seat myself this holy Sabath eavning to let you no that I am enjoying 
good health and hope this will find you all enjoying the same good blessings 
of god  I received your most welcom letter yesterday dated July the 25 and 
was glad to heare from you all once more  I also got a letter from you the 
first of last week  I was sorry to hear that you had not got my letters but 
I got a letter from Mother yesterday stating that John had gone down to 
take you a letter  I have rote to you  often but our mail was stoped a few 
days on the acount of secesh John Morgan but the last acount we had of him 
our men was pushing him the clocst kind  I hope tha will get him  Now Rachel 
I guess you have heard that our company is working at the gap  We have ben 
here 2 Weeks  we are building forts here that the hole Southern conthievracy 
cant tare down  thare is 10 companies working her  now I dont no know long 
we will stay here  we are lucky dogs to get to stay here where thare is such 
good water through the hot weather  I expect we will stay here till frost  
our Briggade is camped 1 mile below here  B.B and R.A. Spalding and me went 
down to our Reg this morning to meeting but our chaplain wasent able to preach 
and we went into the first tennessee Reg and herd a sermon  our Briggade is 
composed of the 1 and 2 tennessee Regiments and 3 kentucky and 49 Ind under 
general carter  thare is 4 or 5 of our Regt out on the scout now  it is rumered 
that tha are ging to try to go down to morristown on the railroad  I cant tell 
how that will be  some of our troops goes out down that way evry week after 
forage  tha generaly take 1 Brigade and 1 Battery with them  so enough on 
that  you rote in your letter that the secesh had burned Washington  
now that is what we would call a camp rumer here  I guess it is a neighborhood 
rumer thare  you will find that is a false report  still such thing might be so  
you said you did not no what you would do if the secesh came around thare  
well I can tell you what to do as Sam Jackson said by old Sam Scarlet take 
down your little bord gun and shoot them rite in the fared and kill them 
stone ded  so enough nonsense  you wonted me to give you all the war news 
I could  I havent much on hands at this time  this seams to be a dark time 
in the history of this great war  I dont think thare will be much done till 
the new troops get out  then if tha adapt the new policy of war as thare 
is talk of I think the thing can be put through  that new policy is to live 
on secesh  take anything that we need  tha have ben handeled with kid gloves 
long enough  g. Right talks to my notion on that  he says to take their negroes 
and make them make our fortifycations and let the soldiers rest but some 
when we say that is ready to cry out abolition abolition   Now Rachel perhaps 
you will think it strange when I say I am glad I come out in this great conflict  
when I did though it makes my heart ache to think of you and the dear little 
boys at home  to think of all the endearments of home for if I was at home I 
would shuerly be bound to turn out now  I think the young man that stayes 
back now under the present circumstances shuerly cant expect to marry a verry 
patriotic women  Now you said in your letter for me to come over and go to 
meeting with you and the little boys  I hadent time after I got your letter  
Now Rachel I have got weaned from the children more than I thought I ever 
would  But your countinance is ever fresh in my memory  I often think of you  
I often pray for you  I make it my buisness ever nite before I lay my boddy 
down to rest to go up on the side of the mountain and in some secret place 
get on my nees and ask god not onley to take care of me but to bless and 
protect you at home  I have prayed lots of times with streaming eyes for god 
to help you to rise them Dear little boys up in the feare of the lord  I 
have saw so much wickedness her  I see and feel the need of raising children 
right  I will have to finish on another sheet  it is hard times down in Dixie  
take care of all my letters

	      Now Rachel I have rote lall that is necissary at this time  
when this comes to hand answer it and and let me no how many hogs you will 
have to sell and the prospect of mast  if thare is no prospect of mast you 
had better sell some of your hogs if you can get the worth of them  mabe you 
can  ell some more to doctor Polson  be shure to keep plenty for your self 
and famley  keep a little for me if I should be so luckey as to get home  
let me no how the accounts stands about home generaly  I dont want you and 
the children to suffer for anything that you can get for I consider we are 
good for all our contracts while I live  Now show this to unckle Mack  tell 
him if I dont get a letter from him this week I will write him one anyhow  
it is getting late  I bring your part of the letter to a close and write 
some to ellie in the morning  farewell Dear Wife for this time  your 
affectionated husban till Death
  
 D.S. Morgan to Rachel Morgan 

Monday morning August the 4th 62
  Dear Brother and Sister  
I take my seat this morning to let you no that I am well and doing well  
I havent got much to write  I wont you to rite and let me no how you got a 
long with my wheat and grass and who helped cut it   I was glad to her 
that your corn looked well  I hope you and Rachel will get along well 
together  Now Ellie when you rite to me dont take up one side to rite our 
names as the old Duchman  you scatter two much  you often say you cant think 
of anything to write  well now I I think you can  anything about home 
would interest me  so next time just rite it down  let me no all about 
everthing  tell father Mack I am going to rite him a letter before long 
and give him a discription of our forts we are building here  I will have 
to close  breakfast is nearley ready  Put Kenley is cooking for our mess 
now  we have plenty to eat here now  we go out to our neighbors orchards 
and get appels to cook  Now I have just eat my breakfast  I will soon have 
to go work  We work 5 hours a day  we use picks and shavels and mallets 
to pound the dirt down  so enough on that  you wonted to no something about 
Ed  he is here  I rote him a letter to his Mother saturday eavning  Ed 
has ben cooking for his mess  Now I would say that one of our Brgades is 
out on a scout   the news has come in to camp that tha have taken a lot of 
prisnners  I cant vouch for the certainity of it  I can tell you in my next 
letter  I will to close by saying still remember me in your prayers  pray 
for me around the famley alter that I have so often bowed around and in 
the secret places around my old farm that I have so often secreted myself 
in  I wont you to understand that I am going to try to live religous if 
the government falls  When my warfare is ended I want to rain with Christ 
above 
Yours truley
		David Morgan to Ellie and Mary Chearnes	 

* as always, I do not correct the spelling or change the text.