Letter to Sue Smith from Alexander R. Thain. #93.45.414

              Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 14, 1864
Dear Friend,
You requested me to write as soon as "military necessity" would allow and in obedience to that request I take this first opportunity, and if some dire "military necessity" does not interrupt me I will soon have paid the debt of correspondence. So you thought that I cast out that "evil insinuation" to see with what spirit you would refute it, and I must say that I admire your penetration for such was really the case, although I did not arouse the storm that I expected. And now I must tell the truth and say that I admire your outspoken uncompromising patriotism and your very persuasive way of expressing it. To use a common expression "I glory in your spunk." I am just one of those whose voice is for "compromise or conciliation" I am too painfully aware of the cost of the struggle so far to be willing to pause untill the supremacy of the Union is entirely vindicated. To do otherwise would be to say that we have been guilty of a cruel folly -- That the precious blood which has been spilt, has been spilt for naught -- that the rebellion is just -- and that instead of trying to preserve the government we are trying to enslave a people. no one would rejoice more than my elf to see the return of peace, for war and bloodshed is foreign to my nature, but I would not be willing to accept of any peace short of the entire submission of the rebels. But their are many who wear the garb of the soldier who have not a soldiers spirit -- their are many peace at any price men among those whoes business is war, and it is to these and to those "coppery mouths" of which you spoke about in your last, that we owe the long continuance of the war. In your last you said "It seems as if I was possessed to fill my letter with war talk" and I guess I will have to fill mine with the same kind of talk for events of considerable importance have transpired since last I wrote. I am afraid it will be an old story before this reaches you, but perhaps their will be something new in my version . We [left the] comfort in our quarters at Tulaskion the 23rd of Nov. and after two days marching in wet and cold we arrived at Columbia. Here we threw up a semicircular line of works with both flanks resting on Duck River and awaited the movements of the rebels. They formed a line at a respectable distance from us but they did not manifest any disposition to assault  our works, and after several days of obstinate picket fighting we evacuated the place and withdrew our forces across the river. For some reasons best known to those in command we lingered here untill the rebels had effect a crossing and came very near getting between us and Franklin. They