Bowling Green Ky
Feb. 15, 1862
My most belovded, my Dear Wife

The time of our severest afflictions, has now come, — Our State is about to be abandoned by our armies — a disaster caused by the Defeat of Crittenden and the surrender of Tillman. We stood in the presence of the enemy outnumbering us 3 and four to one, hoping that they would give us battle at Bowling Green. But they determined to turn our flanks both to the right and left, and had men enough to outnumber us greatly on both. Genl Johnston had ordered that his right flank should not cross the Cumberland but carried away by their ardour they violated his command, hoping to overwhelm Thomas — He was reinforced the night before and our soldiers, wet, hungry, cold, wearied and without sleep, met a disastrous defeat. On his left [...]Tillman had command of Ft. Henry on the Tennessee. He was in my opinion incompetent — I had months tried every plan to have him removed, and foresaw & predicted our disaster. He had once before prevented our advance. when stationed at Hopkinsville, by telegraphing that an enemy of 10.000 were advancing on him & that he had, only 500 effective men and must retreat — If this vain & impotent fellow had never been in command we now have held the heights of Covington.

Tell my Children not to complain because their names are not in this letter — They are always in my heart and my affection —

I now go with the army and intend

to remain constantly in the Field, and expect my helalth to improve instead of falling off We will soon be ready to return — The south has now waked up. Before they would believe that a Southern army however weak could be driven back. and would do nothing in spite of Gen^l Johnston's remonstrances. Perhaps even these defeats were necessary to make the South willing to an honourable peace, upon the basis of Southern Independence and reciprocal free Trade. If [...]they have this effect, our disaster will be valuable to us.

The Southern confederacy have placed at my disposal millions of dollars, for our military purposes. and I have been highly honoured with their confidence, I do not intend that one dollar shall be misapplied, but I will Spend it as water, in the cause of Ky's independance.

I write this to you, my dear, my beloved wife, because Mr Shower, who has boarded at the same house with me all this time since the Russelville Convention, will go to see you, and will tell you & Mrs Breckenridge every thing personal.

Can you Spare Junius? If, you can give him up to his country I think God will bless you and him for it. It is right in itself and when he grows old he will love to think that he too did something in the field for our glorious Revolution I have a Cadet-ship for him in the army worth 40$ per month, and as From my intimacy with the commanders here, I can

attach him to some one, whose age & character will keep him straight. I also can have an eye over him. If the war closes soon, then he will finish his education as a cadet in the Military Accademy which they design establishing. Can you then spare him? Can you have faith, my beloved, to support you in this additional trial? Can you put your faith in God, and give up your Son to his country? I have thought of it for some months before I could make up my mind to ask you, to make this additional sacrifice for your country. I now do it, because I am convinced it should be, and that God himself will reward us for it. When we meet again, I never will part with for more than a day — never — and many days of happiness, I am satisfied are before us —

Let Junius if you consent come out with Mr Shower I hope he will get him through.

When the enemy were threatening Glasgow, the Council directed me to remove the assets, Books and Money the Bank at that place. It is a branch of the Northern Bank. I did so, in obedience to their order and sealed up everything and deposited it in the Bank at Bowling Green. where it still is. I wrote sent word to them that I wished them to select an agent and send him to Bowling Green to take charge of every thing belonging to the bank, but they would not do so

but preferred to harass me with a suit, as I am informed by Madison. I have turned over this bank and the others, from my control, because although by Confederate law we claim, all the State stock and that of alien enemies, yet as we are not now in a situation to examine and decide who are alien enemies, rather than do injustice to the innocent we forego the clearest Belligerent Rights for the present

Mr Calvert the cassshier of the Br. Bank of Ky at Bowling Green holds these assets of Glasgow Bank and has my orders to restore them to the President & Directors of the Glasglow Bank. Madison can use this information if he chooses in my defence & wI will not notice a suit in a court which I consider illegal —

Yours till death Geo. W Johnson