Letter from Henry Hurst to his brother William

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky March 2, 1865

Dear Brother:

     John Gose and I, with a number of men have just returned from Breathitt County, where according to a prearrangement, we held a conference with Capt. Bill Strong. He and his Company of State Guards have charge of police duty in that County and he is certainly doing a wonderful work there.
     I asked one of our friends in Breathitt how Strong was getting along and he laughingly remarked that "he was killing Rebels about as fast as they could bury them." I was much impressed with him as he seems to be a man of great determination and I predict that he will do a lot of good for the Union cause.
     Some times I feel tired and want to quit this work of continuous fighting and dodging. I have had very little rest for the last three years and have witnessed no end of bloodshed. It looks like father and us three boys have done more than our share; but there seems to be no way of turning back and God only knows how long this terrible war will last. I often threaten to go to Illinois and stay till it is over; but I can not leave my father and he won't go away. He says he will fight the Rebels as long as he lives on account of the bad treatment he got in prison. He is too old and his health is too bad for the sort of life he is leading; but I see no way to stop him. We are lucky to all be still living after the many chances we have taken.
     We start Monday on another raid and expect to be gone about a week and when we get back I hope we will be able to take a good rest. They have kept me on the go most of the time for the last three years; but have promised me a thirty day lay off and I certainly need it as I get very little sleep and hardly any rest when on the road.
     Since father moved here Daniel and I make his home our headquarters when in town and the girls keep house and some of the slaves are still with us. We have plenty to eat and a good place to sleep and rest. You should try to get a furlough and come down when I get off duty and spend a week or two with us. Many of the kinfolks from the mountains stay with us when the Rebels run them away from home. Father is always glad to see them and give them shelter till they can make other arrangements. I understand Arch Childers has been in the Army some time. He never went on any more raids with us since we killed John Osborn. He is the man who chased Arch out of the mountains.
     John Gose and Sam Taulbee have been with me during most of the war and two better men never carried a gun. They have killed more Guerrillas than all the rest of our crowd put together. We have about ten or twelve men who work with us regularly. We have about 100 men altogether; but we usually have better success when we split up in small bunches.
     I have very little news to tell you and I know this letter has not been very interesting; but I had a little extra time and nothing else to do.

Your brother,

Henry

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