Pioneer Corps 3rd Div 15th A.C______ Huntsville Ala May 28th 1864 Dear Lucinda I sit this Evening to write you a few paragraphs in Answer to your letter which I rec'd last night dated May 16th and mailed 20th I could hardly term it letter either it might more appropriately be called a note: but as you asked me; of course I will Excuse you as you said you was in a hurry; but if had you ^ worked on it 4 days more until the mail went out you might have got in Some of the news you Spoke of. I not grumble however for as we should do good for small favors I will try and write you a longer letter than I Recd: your letters of late come through mutch quicker than they did three or for weeks ago your last one was mailed the 20th and I rec'd it on the 27th I rec'd a letter from you a few days ago dated April 6th I supose it had laid over someplace on the road: My health has not been verry good Since I got hurt I have been a little Dyspeptic again but I am getting better now I have not worked any yet and probably will not for sometime yet though I can walk about now without the assistence of a crutch; and I think I will get along now verry well. I was glad to hear that you was well and I hope you may continue so; We still continue to have fine weather and somedays [crossed out word] are quite warm; I sent you some flowers in a book [crossed out] [about] about two week ago I Supose you have got them by this time if they went through: I had thought that I would be at home [crossed out word] before your next birth day day but I hardly think it probable now that I will: for all of the veteran Regts of our Div that went home on furlough have got back [crossed out] [and] are posted on duty at diferent places and our Reg't is still at whites burg and I hear nothing more of them being relieved to go home; and Know of no Reg't here at present that can be Spared to Relieve them; I did have some Idea that we would go about the first of June but I did not think we would go before that time; but now I supose we must wait until we can be spared and it is dificult to tell when that will be; but Still I think we will go this Summer; I hope however we may all have a good time when we do get home; we are still at Huntsville and I dont Know how mutch longer we may Stay here there is some talk that we will be relieved from here by another Division and that our Division will be sent into Georgia but I dont believe it; if they are relieved from here I believe our Reg't will go home before they go to the front; I received a letter from Elisabeth Ditto and one from Louisa a few days ago they were all well Except Mother She had been verry sick but was getting a little better when Elisabeth wrote I will give you a litttle Sketch of Huntsville what it is and has been: Huntsville has one of the Largest and best Springs in the South it forms a large creek at Its verry head and has a water power that forces the water through a large Pipe nearly half a mile up hill into a reservoir 20 feet deep and 80 feet across and from the Reservoir [crossed out word] the whole town is supplied with [crossed out word] water through Iron pipes; and small streams of water runs down Each Street fed by force pumps stationed on the various streets; it has two Churches with Spires over a hundred feet high and several others of less Dimentions it has one [illegible] which we now use for a hospital and a female College a three story brick and a splendid building where the rich men Educated their daughters at considerable Expense and as there was no public Schools in the south poor mens Children grew up like the Negros uneducated and the poor people were thought even less of in the south than Negros from the fact that they were less profitable: they were however used as dupes by the Rich who induced them always to vote for men and measures contrary to their own Interest; Huntsville was also a verry fast place in the days of Slavery the King; when the Rich were rocked in the cradle of Luxury vice [crossed out] [and] Idleness and crime; when no Yankee would dare to say that a Nigger had a soul and wasn't a brute; or say that slavery was anything less than a Divine Institution ordained and Blessed by the Deity In those days lived many of the Elite Chivalry here who Dwelt in princely Houses and were clothed with bad consciences and fine Linen and fared sumptuously Every day that the nigger was Obedient to his master; He talked Politics and Drank mutch bad whiskey; and Kept women that were less virtuous; And he waxed verry rich So that he became a mighty man in the Earth and his fame when abroad in all the land He had man Servents and maid Servents and more Epecially maid Servents who by a bell in each room in the house they could at any time be summoned to do any sevile Labor for her Sainted Lord that might promote his comfort or Lust: many of the maid sevents Especially body servents; by an admixture of blood from one Generation to another; are about as fair as their white Owners: Many of these Chivalry also owned Oxen sheep and Assess; and made asses of themselves by Braying Abolition and Amalgimation to the Northern Yankees when at the same time they wished Amalgimation to be kept monopolized by the South; Oh consistency thou art a [illegible] if thou could be found but where hast thou hid thyself: But now Behold the Lincoln hire lings have rose up; a mighty host and have over spread the land the Chivalrys Soil is polluted by their [crossed out word] intruding feet and Desolated the [crossed out] [land] land and Break down many high places and caused many of the proud; yea: hauty Chivalric Soul Drivers to the hous of Refuge in some more remote corner of the earth who no doubt is now praying to god to protect slavery his divine Institution as it is failing in the hands of man; And so [illegible] it be well for the present I will close hoping to hear from you or see you soon I Remain as Ever Yours Truly Thomas.J.Davis _________________ Lucinda. M. Davis