I presume that you have the letters of Capt. Elijah P. Petty (Co. F, 17th Regiment Texas Infantry (Allen's Regiment)), published as "Journey to Pleasant Hill," Norman Brown, editor, by the Institute for Texan Cultures, University of Texas, 1982. Brown has prepared a narrative that includes background information, his comments and Petty's letters written from Camp Nelson that covers about 100 pages of this wonderful book. His footnotes are a marvel.

My great-great-grandfather, John M. Holcombe (Co. B, 17th Texas), was also there, and I have about 6-10 letters that he wrote to his wife from Camp Nelson. I could easily furnish copies. The originals are in Austin, TX, at the Center for American History.

If you want to slog through many rolls of microfilm, you can identify every Texan who ever set foot in Camp Nelson. See the Combined Service Records, National Archives and Records Service, Washington, D.C., Microfilm Publication, M227. These films contain all the collations of muster roll entries and other service records of every Confederate soldier from Texas for whom records survive.

John R. Wilson