(from archived RCHC Web Site)

Transcribed by Robert L. Bailey.  Original source unidentified.

Note: John J. Lane served in served in Companies B and F, 5th Tennessee Infantry, USA.  Click the Company letters to view Robert Bailey‘s transcription of that unit.

Near Mufreesboro [sic] Ten. Feb. 8, 1865

Major General Rosecrans My Dear Sir I Desire to state to you that under a late order from you Headquarters to report the absence of officers absince without Leave that I am reported absent with Leave in July 1862 & also was (illegible) to which reports or charges I enter no plea of guilty of no authority from as? one else But the commander of Regt. will a sufficient authority for I did not the special authority of my Regs. commander to be absent at the time But Sir Permit me to state to you the circumstances under which I was absent. I was borned & raised in Jefferson county East Tennessee & five years ago I left that county & (illegible) to the State of arcansas when Secession & rebelion came up in that state I on account of my (illegible) Proclivity & devotion to the Federal Government and had to (illegible) this State. I left that state in Jul 1861 & came to Kingston in Roane county Tennessee & there settled my family I remained (?) till Feb. 27, 1862 At about which time the Rebel Judge (illegible) of the Circuit District refused to let me practice at the Bar as a Lawyer without taking the oath the infamous oath to support the Bogus Government which thing I very promptly refused to do in consequences of which Refusal I was abruptly insulted by a Leading Rebel & I (several words illegible) & I had to leave there & came to Kentucky I came across the mountains with from 600 to 700 hundred men & we all went to the service of the government from that time up to July (illegible) I (illegible) my hole duty as quarter master & now do ? here I wish to state that at the time I left my family in Roane county ten. I had no chance to make sicable ? preparation for there subsistence in an strang neighborhood without any relatives to assist them & an about the first of July 1862 I met up with a man just from my town in which my family lived he told me that my family had fell short of provisions & was in a very bad condition that they (illegible) all the money that they had on hand for provisions & that the infamous rebels had taken it all from them and that they were in a bad fix & hapened to be about 4 or 5 miles from camp at the time I met up with this man I studdied but little about consequences but sent word back By some of the boys of the (illegible) to Col. Shelly that I had heard of grate distress of my family & that I went to their if posible & that I would be back in a short time then sir being moved by the highest (illegible) or motion known to man (illegible) country the Love and respect of his wife & children I went to their relief without special authority these was my motives for going & none others went & I sliped under the cover(?) of (illegible) Between Pickets Post of the Reble army & went into the town of Kingston & made Preparation for having my family taken care of with some of my (illegible) Friends I returned to my Regt. after an absence of 12 days I told my Col. where I had been ? & what for I did not understand from him that I was faulted for doing so & was never reported upon the book or (illegible) Reports as absent with Leave then in Augst ? about the time the Rebels had us surrounded at Cumberland Gap Ten. I was told by my Capt. F. W. ? Adams Brigade (illegible) that I would have to go out as far in the country as I could & get up what I could to Enlist my Regt. that rations had run short I went out by this authority & again while I was out from the (illegible) to get up a lot of (illegible) cattle? (illegible) find? the time that (illegible) steaks? I did not ask authority of Col. Shelly to go for the reasin that I never thought that it was necessary But fell my self called on under the circumstances that all in my Power to prevent my men from starving or suffering our? transported & trains ware all cut off what I (illegible) I these things Sir I done with Pure motive I ask you under the circumstances to be as merciful towards me in these as you can as was (illegible) circumstances your Respectfully J. J. Lane.