Crow Valey                            

Alabama

Camp at Cave Springs

Aug 23 /63

           

Dear Mother

                                    I seat my self to write you a fiew lines to leave you know that i am stil in the land of the living and i am enjoying good health i have not received a letter from you for some time and i would ove written to you sooner but i still was in hopes i would get one from you and as i did not i thought i would write to you we have had a nother march sense i wrote to you last and it was as hard a march as i ever made the march lasted only three days but it was all mountain roads and and i never saw the weather as hot as it was the most ove our supply train broke down coming over the mountains we had our knapsacks to cary and we swet so mutch that our backs where the knapsacks laid on was as raw as a piece of beef and i saw a good many ove our boys fall out ove ranks with the heat and the roads was very dusty and so many men marching along made it raise like a fog some times i couldent see the man in front of me i tell you i wished often while i was on this march for the drafted men for this would ove been a good time to ove broke them in. well mother they was 10 men sent home out ove our regt to bring on a nough drafted men to fill up our regt that is if any ove them is going to come / they was a surgent sent from our company the surgent that commanded our company at the battle of stone river he is one ove our best men he had been sick for some time before he left us but never went to the hospittle i am of the opinion he has the consumption but i hope i am rong we hant had any letters from him yet but some ove the boys has had letters from freeport and the say he loocks very bad i hope he may get well soon and get back to us for he is so well liked by all the boys. well mother we are lying in a valey and a large mountain on both sides ove us but we have very good water here whitch is a nice thing for us for when we was on the march we suffered a good deal for the want of water i tell you i often think ove the good water at home when i am on a march we often march til late at night and then have to go and hunt water and make some coffee and at daylight the drums would beat to get ready to march a gain and a great many of the boys wouldent get a bite to eat and have to march hard all day i tell you soldering is hard i supose the people at home a good part of them thinks a soldier has nothing to do only while he is fighting but if they was in the army they would find out diferent from that. i received a letter from Walter while i was on the march and was glad to hear from him and to hear that he had been out home i would liked to ove been with him but that is impossible so i will content my self til my time is out when walt dose write to me he never writes but a fiew lines and i dont get mutch news from him i am a great hand for long letters but i ant so good at writing long letters my self i received / a letter from Kate Kennedy the day i started on the march they was all well and send their love to all ove you Kate writes to me regular and writes a very nice letter she is very patriotic they are stil in ohio and getting a long very well well mother i think we will moove soon from here for the pontoon train has been going by here in rout for the tennessee river for two days and i think as soon as they all get a head we will moove down and cross over on them i think we will have a hard fight at chattanooga they is all kinds ove reports going in camp but a person cant believe any story i would ove liked to ove got a letter from you before i wrote this but i thought i would write for fear we would moove and i wouldent get a chance after we would start the weather here is awful hot i dont see how we will march if it dont get cooler. i was glad to hear that you was so near done harvesting i supose you will quit your hard working now i hope you will. i was glad to hear of lidea going to school a gain i want to see her learning something specialy writting gest to see what writing aley dose but i dont like to say any thing to her but it puzles me to make it out some times the boys are all in good health that is with the company Boyle is well Dan Shearer is stil waiting on the sick in the regimental hospital and i think he is the right boy in the right place. the crops through here loocks very well the corn is splendid but the yankees is taking all ove it and burning all ove the rails i tell you we ant going to leave the rebs mutch after we get through this time. the opinion is here that when we start this time and we dont be defeated at Chattanooga whitch i think thear wont be any danger / is to march on in to the state ove georgia if we get down their it will stil be hotter than it is here i dread it if it is any hotter. well i would like if our drafted men was here now for the long march we are going to make when you write give me all the perticulars a bout the drafted men who is going as theas fiew lines leaves me well i will close hoping they may find you enjoying the same great blessing write soon

                                                                                   

From your Son Abram Kipp

 

Direct Co. F. 78^th PV.

2^d Div. 14^th A.C.

Alabama

SOURCES