Camp Johnton                        

March the 8 1862

 

Dear Mother

                        I seat my self this morning to answer your welcome letter whitch i received on yesterday and was hapy to hear ove you all being well i am well. we are now incamped two miles out from Nashville on the south side we left Bolling Green on the last day of Febuary and crossed Barren river and got over at half past 1 oclock and we was on a force march and we had to march 22 miles the same day we stoped a bout ten oclock that night and lay out on the ground til four oclock and the long roll beat to fall into line we done so with out breakfast / we started and at 8 oclock we halted a fiew minets to eat some dry crackers and then started and made 22 miles that day we halted for the night and lay out and at 5 oclock in the morning the long roll beat for a nother time to fall into line we done so but we done it very slow for we hadent had anny meat on the march and not a bite but hard crackers whitch made me think of the days that was past and gone but we made out to get into line and marched within two miles of Nashville that day by this time we was all prety badly used up sore feet and wore out other ways we lay over their for a day or so and on yesterday we crossed the cumberland river and marched / out through nashville where we ar now encamped we have had some hard marching for some time back when we crossed the tenisee line we had three harty cheers for tenisee the rebles retreated very fast from Bolling green they thought we was only 4 hours behind them but they made out to burn all of the bridges behind them it is suposed that they will make a stand at Chittamuga in Alabama that is 150 miles from here we are expecting marching orders evry minuet for that part if we have to travel that distance i am a fraid it will use us up prety bad. turn til the next sheet and you will find some more reading— 

 

i am a bout to tel you some particulars and i dont want you to tell evry one. for one thing we are short of grub it ant only this time but it is on a average a bout evry fourth day we hant a bite to eat some times we hant any thing for two and three days except parched corn and turnips whitch we have to steal whitch i think is no harm on the ocasion the reason of this is we travle faster than they can get the provisions after us. on our march we had crackers a nough for two days and we was on the march better than three days and we had nothing the rest. so you may judge for your self how we get a long here 

 

i dont wish to complane ove our times it is prety hard we left Dan Shearer at Camp Wood he wasent bad but he wasent fit to travle i hant herd from him sense he was left their all the boys is well from a round their except Dan and for church: hant heard a surmon for a good while in fact we are busy all the time at something a nother and for the country here it is beautiful and has been all the way from the tennesee line. i think we will leave for alabama in a day or so it may be to night yet for we cant tel any thing til the drum beats for us to fall into line. the weather here is getting warm but has been mighty / cold i am dreading our long march whitch is a head of us. Mr Harvy is well and Bob smith also. i want to know by you who them home gards was that was their the time of the snow with them girls and who the girls was. i am sory to tel you that i will have to frank this letter for you for i hant saw a sent of money for six weeks we have only been paid once sense we started that was 21 dolars and i cant tell when we will be paid tel Ale to write to me she need not expect me to write study for it is impossible this is all at presant give my love to miss shuster and all the / rest of the folks and ant mary yours truly Abram Kipp

 

Direct

A Kipp 1 Brigade

78 Regt. PV. Com F.

                        Tennessee

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