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                                                               May 22, 64

Dear Family                              Kingston Springs  Nashville & NWRR

I have delayed writing to you longer than I expected when I sent those few pencillings to you before from Nashville.  I have been well all the time.  We are here Evan and I besides some dozen other laborers and masons.  I have been very anxious about Thomas since the Resaca battle in Ga..  There is a considerable lengthy account of it in today’s paper (Nashville) taken from the Cin. Com. It states the Ohio soldiers suffered severely no details in this paper.  I suppose that likely ere this you have heard how Thomas fared whether our poor boy is among the killed, wounded, missing or safe.  I had a chance yesterday of sending to the post office to inquire for a letter the first since I was there myself.  There was nothing for me.  I wish there was.  I have not heard from Thomas since I reviewed your 3 letters.  But I have not written to him I hope that is the only reason.  I intend sending a few lines in his pursuit today.  There is one other thing I wish I could be a little more prompt with regard to it.  They are so slow about the pay.  I have a promise now from the Paymaster that he will pay us for March and April within 10 days.  We intended and were told that we would be paid last Thursday and took a ride of 26 miles on the train towards the Tennessee Riv. to go where the Paymaster was paying.  But because we were transferred from the other Department into this in April we have to wait until he pays for the month of April so we came back on the train.  That is the way we spend a part of our time.  Got to our work about 5 o’clock PM time goes on just the same no lap in that. 

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This is a very woody country.  Very little cleared and what is is poorly farmed.  A few fields around her that had corn in last year were not plowed this year and no one to do it that I know of.  There are two kinds trees here that bloom in the Spring.  Our northern dog wood and a southern little tree.  The niggers call it dwarf wood.  I am not sure that is a right name.  I have a few blossoms in my diary I will send home in the letter.  I didn’t know how to prep them.  So you can not judge of their beauty so well.  There is a kind of a growth that comes out in bunches here and there on the trees here on the Sycamores and Elms.  This strange growth is the same on different kinds of trees and it holds it’s leaves green all winter so in the winter the bunches are plain to view.  And can be seen a great distance.  How to account for it I do not know.  Julia I wish you would ask Mr. Stone something about it I will send a few of those leaves home sometime.  I have a mind to try to have a letter come nearer to me send me one and direct it thus (J.D. Jones Kingston Springs Nashville & NWRR Tenn).   Those capital letters mean North Western Rail Road.  The explanation is for you everyone here understand them.  I had nothing particular to send in a letter I thought may be you would like to hear where I am if you never see the place your selves.  Well it is hardly worth seeing and if there was no promise of something else besides the sight I would quit it by this afternoon’s train.  Yours most surely J. D. Jones