No 18 
 
     Co..C..18th Regt Wis. Vols 
             (1865 
[illegible] near Kinston N.C. March, 13 ^ 
Dear Wife 
I Sit down this morning to write 
you a letter in answer to three that 
I rec'd from you yesterday; one dated 
Feb 20th one 27th and the other March 1st 
and you dont Know how glad I was to 
hear from you and also glad to hear that 
you was well:. I think all the letters that 
you directed to Savanah Ga: went there 
and are perhaps with Shermans Army: 
I wrote you a letter a week ago yesterday 
but I had no chance to send it back 
to Newbern So I have it yet and I will 
send it with this: we left Newbern on 
the 4th and we come up to the Rebs on 
the 7th and we commenced on the 8th and 
[crossed out word] had a four days fight with the Rebs 
the fighting was not general nor so 
hard as Some we have been [crossed out word] in: for dur 
ing most of the time our army was  
maneuvering and getting into position; 
So on the night of the 11th the Rebs left 
our front after getting the worst of it and 
finding we was to Strong for them: we lost 
some prisoners and captured some but I 
dont Know how many: our Regt was 
under fire Several times but luckily 
had no men Killed or wounded but we 
had two men captured while on the 
Skirmish line: neither of them were from 
my company; Byron Johnson is dead 
we left him at Newbern in the Hospital 
with the Typhoid fever; he died on the 4th inst 
the same day he was taken ther: 
There is no other news of importance 
Robert Mc has not recd any letter from 
home Since he left: yours are the only 
letters that I have rec'd yet I Supose 
others have written but the letters have 
gone to Sherman; I have not numb 
ered my letters since I left home 
  but Since I left you I have written 
you 17 or 18 letters but I have not 
 wrote only about once a week since 
I come to New Berne  :  I will 
however write as often as convenient 
You Say that you are getting anxious 
to leave Detroit and want me to find 
a place for you: I Expected you would 
want to stay with Susan and Hariet 
until April or May: I have not made 
any arrangements for a place for you 
But I think you had better go back to 
Wis: when you get through your visit.  
You could stay with my folks in Ills 
but they are all strange to you and 
part of them Copperheads So I think you 
would enjoy yourself better on the 
badax among your acquaintence. I Supose 
you can get as good a place as I could 
get for you So do the best you can  . I 
want you to get a good place if if you 
have to pay a good price for your board 
When you Start back your best route 
will be to go to chicago and from there 
through Galena to Dunlieth opposite 
Dubuque; and there take a Steam 
Boat up the River and land at 
Badax City and you can get from 
there on the Badax most any day . 
I Sent my Overcoat and a blanket 
home with some things that George 
Rogers and John Carpenter Sent to 
Elias Rogers. John wrote to Elias to [illegible] 
my coat and Blanket at Lewis 
Smiths: Well Lucinda I have nothing 
more to write to day I Know you will 
be looking Anxiously for a letter from 
me for more than a week before you get 
this  You must do the best for 
yourself that you can 
I Remain as Ever Your 
     Soldier boy 
    T.J. Davis 
 
To L.M. Davis 
 
N.B. Direct as before to New Berne 
                 N.C.