New Orleans,
								Camp Chalmette,
								December 8, 1861.

Jno. W. Cross, Esq.
At Home

Dear Son:--
After my respects to you, as a dutiful and beloved son, I will avail myself of an
opportunity under such auspicious circumstances to communicate to you a few
lines in which I will inform you under a kind providence I am a favored object of
Divine Mercy by the blessings of which I am enjoying the very best of health for
which I feel most grateful to our kind dispenser of all good things and hoping
under his special favor this may find you with your devoted mother and little
brothers and sisters, the happy recepient of this choicest feelings.
	John, I have nothing much of importance to write you.  I suppose before
this reaches you you will have heard of our removal from camp Moore to this
place.   I wrote to our friend, W.L. Hood, that we were here by H.W. Kirkpatrick.  
It is my solemn duty to inform you that the pale horse of death has visited our
company again and seized for his victim our much esteemed comrade, W.A.
Leatherwood, which makes four of our company which have already been
sacrificed for our country.  There are two more that are very sick, W.D. Boston
and J. Nairmon, the latter, I think doubtful of his recovery.  There are several of
the boys complaining but all are able to be up.  Lieut. J.A. Simmons had been
out nearly all the time since we started and it is generally believed he cannot
stand camp life and a good many of the company think he better resign his
commission and retire from the service.  Dr. Taylor left here yesterday to go
home on furlough to improve his health.
	We have very quiet times here now.  We are making preparations for
winter quarters and from all I can see and learn, unless some unforseen
circumstances take place, remain here all winter.  This is a quiet pleasant place
 in any weather.  It is a large prairie and destitute of timber.  Our water is the
Mississippi river water which is always muddy and is quite cold now.
	The weather here is very warm and agreeable so much so that mosquitoes 
are so bad that we can't sleep at night for them.
	The carts run on one side of us and the steam boats on the other though
there are very few boats now.  I have not been to the city since we came through
though we are just at the lower end of it.  There is some better state of feeling
existing in our company now than has been for sometime past though it is not as
agreeable as it ought to be and I fear never will.
	Tell Mr. John and Mrs. Jane Honeycut I received their favor a short time
since and I will respond soon though they must not wait but continue to write
every opportunity.  I received a letter from Uncle Drury a day or to ago.  Himself 
and family were well.  He said he would try and go and see you all about
Christmas, if he could.
	Tell Bobby his papa has left camp Moore and gone to New Orleans,
Camp Chalmette Mr. Honeycut wrote me that Mr. Johnson was dead and also
Mr. Henry Burns which I hated very much to hear.  My Son, this should be a
lesson to you and should call to your mind that you too must die and life is so
uncertain that you should prepare for that solemn hour before it comes for death
has no respect to age but more young persons die by far than old ones and if this
was not so even preparation for death should not interfere with life but adds to
its comforts for you have with you at all times, a friend that sticketh closer than a
brother to comfort you under all meandering through which we all pass in the
world of sin and sorrow pain and death and now my dear son nothing would
afford me half the pleasure as to hear you were endeavoring to prepare to meet
your God in peace which let me enjoin you as your affectionate father, if we
never meet again on earth, do, do try to meet me in Heaven where we will enjoy
uninterrupted happiness while eternities ages shall roll around us and my son if
it pleases God to show you the light of his countenance reconciled through Jesus
Christ our Lord.  Do not forget to instruct your little sisters and brothers in the
way of life for the duties of brother, son and father devolve upon you in my
absence and in all human probability may never return, but if I never should I
have confidence in our Blessed Redeemer that he is able to save to the uttermost
all whom come unto God by him and is not slack concerning his promises as
some men count slackness but is longsuffering to us were not willing that any
should perish but that all should come to repentence.
	Since I commenced writing there has come a rumor in camp that we will
not remain here long though you may believe as much of that as you wish.
	You must write to me and let me know how much wheat you have sowed
and when Mr. Clark intends moving  Tell him I wrote to him if he thought he
couldn't make it pay to hire a negro to do so and I will be satisfied with what he
does.  I think with very little clearing he can have enough land for a good crop
and probably negroes will hire very low.  John, raise all the hogs you can and
calves as stock is going to be the best property a man can have in the south soon.  
	Nurse your hogs well and turn another sow or two, in fact do all you can
to increase your stock of hogs.
	We have very a good many couroslties here, the flying artillery drill
every day and calvaler companies too.  We have been here ten days and the
sugar mills have not stopped night or day since we got here.
	Our boys are all getting in good spirits and are anxious to show their
hands in fighting Yankees.
	The people here, when they work two mules to a wagon, they hitch one
before the other.  When three, they put two before, when five work three to the
wheels and oxen, they have no bows at all but tie the yoke to their horns and
around their head.
	There are rings in their noses in which they put ropes to drive with.
Instead of a whip they have a stick with a sharp spear in it and job them with it.
And some of the wagons are made so the body is under the axle trees.  We have
a large wagon and five mules furnished our regiment but we have not hitched
but two of them yet. 	The Adjutant has detailed five men and one corporal
from our company to guard the Yankee Prisoners in the city.  J.F. Ford and
Willis Aycock are going for two of them.  They will have to stay fifteen days.  I
am going to the city to-day on business for the captain and will go to the post
office and I hope to get a letter from home.
	I must close as my paper is out.  Give my respects to your Uncle John and
Aunt Susan Mayes and all the children and all of our neighbors.
	Give my love to your mother, brothers and sisters and receive a full
portion yourself.
		W.H. CROSS to JNO. W. CROSS

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Letter sent by Corporal William Hunter Cross, 17th Louisiana Infantry,
CSA, to his eldest son, John William Cross, in Pleasant Ridge,
Louisiana--my maternal great-great-great grandfather and great-great
grandfather, respectively.
						
			Jonathan Plant