July 14^th 1863

 

Dear Mother

                    I seat my self to write you a fiew lines i wrote to you on yesterday but as i had gest came to camp and i was very tiard and wrote a very little letter letter so i thought i would try and give you some of the perticulars i am now able a gain to do light duty but mother i tell you i was pretty bad for a week or so but i have now got back to my regt and feel a good deal better contented the army mooved from Murfreesboro on the 24^th of June and was on the road til the 8^th of July when they army had to stop to get up supplies and fix the railroad so we can get grub the troops fought slightly all the road but our brigade was not in any of it the rebles had intended making a strong stand a talihoma and could ove made a good stand if we would ove had to we had fought them from the front they was well fortifyed in that position but old rosecrans flanked them and when they found out they was flanked they evacuated the place and then rosecrans try to out flank them at the foot of the mountains but the roads being so bad he failed in doing so and the rebles got to the mountains but they left some ove their artilery at the foot of the mountains that they could not get a long we are now laying at the foot of the mountain when the rebles retreated they cut timber in the roads so that it will be impossible for us to advance fast from here the rebles has crossed the Tennisee river and burnt the bridge behind them i cant tell how long we will lay here the boys had a bad time ove it while they was on the march it rained very hard all the time and they had nothing with them except their oil cloth blankets and they say they never saw the mud so deep as it was            turn over 

 

you want to know if Isaac salt skiver dont want home i cant say he dose he dont seem like it he has changed very mutch sense he left home Robert Smith is well and in very good spirits he loocks well you want to know if i need a gum blanket i have a oil cloth blanket and i dont need any other the hole regt drawed them the boys are all well in the company except two one of them is very bad the other is not very but they are strangers to you well mother when i read the list of them men you say left for war i was astonished but it is nothing more than what they ought to do but i want you to keep Walt from inlisting if you can it seems he wont listen to me any more well mother when i read your letter where you sayd you often told the children a bout my hard bread and lilley saying for you to send me some i tell you it made me feel bad when i read it for i new gest what kind of grub you have their but i am not discouraged a tal for mother i tell you i do think this rebellion now depends all togather on that great battle in pennsylvania we can drive them here and Grant has done his duty so i do cincerely believe the war will soon go down if Lee is whiped bad in pennsylvania whitch i hope they will we have had some good news from pennsylvania but we cant cheer for it til we hear more perticulars a bout it as you know we get some big news always when they is a battle going on i received Daniels fotograph and was well pleased with it it loocks gest like him but i would ove rather had it taking with a uniform on and i also received amadays likeness but i cant get my fotograph taking here. i received a letter from Kate Kennedy on yesterday they are all well she would like if i would get a furlow and go and see them i would like very well to see them but that is a thing impossible i would like to see you but i must content my self as it is but i hope we will all get home in six or eight months this is my opinion and i hope it will come true 

 

you wanted to know if i had a nough to eat we have generly but some times we get out when i was left back sick all we could get to eat was a tin cup not quite full for two men of corn mush and no salt in it this was all we had nothing else whatever and mind we had no milk in it and had to drink water to it it was a little hard but we have got to know a soldiers hardship so we dont take it so hard as a new soldier would but we loock a head for better times we can hear some of the boys growling a casionaly but on an average they dont complain mutch in fact they now it is no use we have been suplied better with grub sense General rosecrans toock command than ever we was before we generaly have a nough unless they roads is so bad that we cant get it to us and then he ant to blame for that i tell you mother a soldiers life is a hard life no one knows any thing a bout it or cant form the least idea of what it is like unless they have had a year or so experience them selves i know if any person had ove told me as bad stories a bout soldering before i came out i would ove called him a fox but now i have saw all of it my self and i have stood my share of the hardships with the rest of the soldiers i tell you mother i have often herd the boys say and i thought it my self when they would be out in a dreadful storm thunderen and lightning and have to stand and take it or lay down with fatigue and try to sleep some with the heavy rain pouring down on him i have often herd them say my country is sweet but this is hard one would say to the other never mind boys some ove us may live to get through this and them that dose can enjoy it well i tell you the men in this army seems determined to fight the rebles til they give up but ove all things the men in the army hates is the coper heads they have more vengeance on them i supose you saw account of some of the east tennessee troops that was taking at stones river under stand thear was union troops they was at camp parole ohio and they are / waiting for to be exchanged and they was a lot of coperheads coming home from a meeting they had they was some three hundred of them and thear was theas fiew tennessee men stoped them on the road and made them get down on their nees and they swore them to never vote for Velanding Ham and that they would stand by the stars and stripes and never folow the coperheads plan and they was glad to get of with their lives that is the way to work them chefs well i must tell you our company is commanding by a sargent one ove our lieutenants was sent back sick and the other is acting adgutant in the regt and the capt is on the colonels staf the colonel is acting brigade General and our lieutant colonel is commanding the regt. well as the mail is gest going to go out i will have to close hoping to hear from you soon i wrote to alie when i was in the hospital give my love to ant mary and this takes my love to all the family tell billy i will be home after while to get some of his good pies nothing more at present

                                               

your son Abram Kipp

                                                                       

write soon as you can

 

Direct Deckard Station Tennessee

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