No. 16 
Pioneer Corps 3rd Div 15th A.C. 
Cartersville Ga Oct 28th 1864 
           Dear Wife 
     I Sit down this afternoon to write you in answer 
to a letter I Rec'd from you yesterday dated 12th Inst 
and was glad to hear that you was mending and I hope this 
may find you entirely well; my health is tolerable good at 
present and time passes off quite lively . I have got 
quite a comfortable Shanty built and feel at home as 
long as we remain here though there is talk of our 
leaving here in a week or ten days but we may remain 
here Sometime yet, the boys at the Regt are all well or 
was yesterday: The weather begins to bee cool though we 
have had but [crossed out word] verry little frost yet this fall; the RR 
I believe is again Repaired between Atlanta and 
Chattaa and I Supose our mail matter will be rec'd  
with more Regularity; Ed Rogers has got the Yellow Jaunders 
but he is doing verry well: they will probably not last him  
long: Refugees mostly women and children continue  
to go North on the cars Some of them a pittiable looking 
Objects being destitute of nearly everything: these southern 
women as a general thing are not verry attractive to northern 
men they are mostly long necked: thin faced Sharp 
[crossed out] [feature] featured and discontented looking beings 
from their appearence they dont look verry amorous 
but many have given themselves up to prostitution 
and will hang around our military posts among the 
Soldiers when they are permitted to do So 
  the most of the Southern women chew Tobacco. 
    and Dip Snuff as they call it; but you will ask 
me what Dipping Snuff means, well I will tell you 
They take a piece of hickory wood or dry hickory bark 
and whittle it about the size of a pipe stem and 4 or 5 
inches long they then Bruise one end which they usually  
do by chewing it: thus making a kind of brush or 
Swab: this they wet in their mouth and then 
opening their Snuff Box dip it into the snuff 
when quite a little bunch of the dry Snuff will adhere to 
the wet Stick; they then put it into their mouth and with 
the Bruised Stick they will rub their gums and teeth 
and give their mouth a general moping Occasionally 
diping the Stick back into the Snuff until the mouth 
becomes full of Snuff and Slobbers; they then commence Spitting 
and a goose in the Summer time makes a decen. appearance 
 in comparison, That is what they call diping Snuff, 
and it is the most disgusting habit I ever saw ____ 
I will send you a Ring that I made and I wish you 
to tell me what fingers it will fit the best 
You must Excus a half Sheet to day as I wrote 
you a  long letter last week 
   I will write again before long and tell you 
if anything new [crossed out word] turns up. 
Write Often.  I Remain as ever 
Yours etc 
Thos. J. Davis 
 
To L.M. Davis