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 ‘‘I Am Ready for Them to Give Up’’ January 1865–April 1865  sam to andrew  Memphis, Tenn. / Jan. 1, 1865 Dear Father, Your favor of the 18 comes to hand on the 28 of last month. I write pretty often at least once a week. I have made you my Regular correspondent for nearly 3 years. I think I have written on an average 1 per week during that time making over 1 hundred & fifty letters. Since I Left Home, I have written 903 letters.1 My correspondents have thrown off on me or rather I have got mad at some of them and quit. Well, another year has come. We can now look back an[d] see what has transpired during 64. Some mealancholy things have passed, many dear ones have gone the way of all the world. Look at the bright side of the picture. Many [are] the glorious achievements of our arms. It would be needless for me to refer to the various successes knowing that you ‘‘read the News.’’ Gen. Sherman’s Christmas Gift to the Pres. is a good thing.2 Hood seems to be in a bad fix. Forest has been well tanned. I think he ventured in too deep water for so small a band. I must admit that he has done more for the rebles than any other man with the same no. of men, but few of these Gens have taken more prisoners although he has [yet] to defeat any of our great movements. Sherman[’s army] was a little too large [illegible] for Hood, and [illegible] I hope our friends in his army are all safe. They represent that they had a fine time on their journey through Georgia. I would like to have been in that army. We can live well here but a man can show but very little of his abilities here. Cannot get to see the country. I would prefer active campaigns under skilful leaders than the monotony of a station or garrison duty. Notwithstanding that, I have become used to it. I am somewhat inclined to stay here now [that] we have been here so long that it appears like home, and yet Memphis is a very mean place . . . All is very quiet here. This seems to be a kind of depot for one horse, broken down Gens, those who have proved of little consequence in the field. january 1865 – april 1865 { 313 } I suppose you have noticed that I have not come home yet. I cannot help it. No leaves yet, don’t know when there will be any. My boots suit me ‘‘muchly.’’ Socks are splendid. I have been writing at payrolls all day. This is a busy week for officers who are in Co’s. I have made all the Payrolls except 2 since I came in to this company. I do not know why the Captain does not. It is his place to. Well I am tired of writing for the night. I will write more when I have nothing else to do. Love to all the family. I am as ever, Your son, Sam 1. Only 110 of these 903 letters by Sam have survived as part of this collection. None of the Evans’s letters of December 1864 have survived. 2. On December 21, 1864, after marching from Atlanta to the sea, Union forces occupied Savannah. Sherman sent Lincoln a telegram that read, ‘‘I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah with 150 heavy guns . . . and about 25,000 bales of cotton.’’ James M. McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom (New York: Ballantine Books, 1988), 811.  andrew to sam  Home / Jan. 1, 1865 Dear Sam, I have a letter from you but cannot tell the date from the fact that it is not dated in full, only ‘‘Dec. 1864’’ and the post mark is so indistinct that I cannot determine when it was mailed.1 You acknowledge the receipt of mine of the 4 Dec. I, have written every Sunday; why you have you not received them, & why I have but one from you, in four weeks is more than I can tell. I started your boots and socks on the 12th and mailed my letter of the 4 containing a receipt from ‘‘Adams Express Co.’’ on the same day which ought to have reached you in a week or less. I explained the reason of the delay in a previous letter, which I supposed would...

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