James Henry Lauriston ("Lar") Hull

4th Sergeant, Company F., 10th Texas Cavalry, Confederate States Army
Enlisted October 1861 and Surrendered May 26, 1865

Civil War Letter Collection, Kickapoo, TX - 1864

Transcribed by J. Brinkoeter

Kickapoo,Texas August 9, 1864 My Dear Father, I received your kind letter and was exceedingly glad to hear from you again. I understand a Mr. Miller is going to start after those negroes and I will try to send this by him. If I can't there is no telling when you will get it. I have just written a letter to Mother and Mollie telling them of my health, etc. I had a pretty severe time of it. The fever was on me without ceasing for seven days when it was broken, and I am now very convalescent and hope (with no ill luck) to be up and well by next week. There is a great deal of sickness through this country. In fact it is alarming! This country, politically, is in a deplorable condition. There are more than twenty­five men immediately in this neighborhood to be pointed out who say right openly that they voted Union Ticket and are yet union men, and the Union will stand forever. Even today, Ike Mosely said in a crowd he voted the Union ticket, and that they would never get their independence as a Confederacy. Mr. Miller's brother is strong union, but he is secessionist, or he pretends to be. I think this is a permanent thing here, these iron works. Col. Clawson speaking said he did not expect us to make iron before Christmas, so if I can make myself indispensable and these infernal Conscript Laws don't get too tight, I will have a good thing of it. Mr. Harris, my host, has some ten sick, two or three of his white family. I know of but few families that have not several sick. Mr. Harris has just assisted me to my chest to get some Flux-Weed to cure one of his negroes. The doctors have quit her. They think she will die. We have just had a visit from our chief, Col. Clawson. He came dressed in very plain common clothes, his head and whiskers shaved, he looked very rough but was not!! He was much pleased with the progress of our works, though it was slow. He is visiting and inspecting all the works. He shipped our stack builder, but we have a better one and sent his son to camps. I don't think he will be pleased with Mr. Bell's work below as he spoke badly of it while here. He was over to see me. We like him very much, and that's all about Col. Clawson. War news has played out. My ... paper office has burned down and I get no papers and no news. Hood has given Sherman a powerful thrashing. Everything seems quiet at Richmond. J. H. L. Hull

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Letter Index: J. H. L. Hull Civil War Letter Collection