Lookout Mountain Tenn

Feb 4^th 1864

 

Dear Mother

                  I now seat my self to answer your kind letter of the first and i was glad two hear ove you all being well and getting a long so well i am hapy to tell you that my health is good and for the rest of our company they is not one man sick that is presant with us at the presant time the weather here is quite cold a gain but i hope winter will soon be over for a soldier has a very poor way to make him self comfortable but i am hapy two think that i can say this is my last winter in the survice but mother i cant say i have ever rued coming out yet you spoke of how little us boys was thanked for doing they fighting for the people at home we know we ant thanked for it but we do it for we know it is our duty and i think it / evry young mans duty to come out but i think some ove them will get a chance to try soldering before the first of may i see according two the presidents order they three hundred dolar act is spoilt and the boys are taking some good laughs a bout it two think that so many ove them had their three hundred laid out for to get cleared on good for the president i see by some letters that come two our company that a great many ove the people at home thinks we ought to join the veterans as our morils is corupted and that we ought two enlist a gain and leave them stay at home and they go on two say as mutch as we are cowards if we dont do it but they can say what they please if our company was to enlist a gain they wouldent give their names two our state we would give them in two indiana for they have volenteered and filled up their quota and if / we would give our state credit with that nomber it would save that many from the draft and i dont want to save one of them if i can possible avoid it i was glad two hear ove walter getting a long so well you seem to bother your self a good deal a bout me not getting a nough to eat when i told you a bout our living i told you i would get a long and i have and we are now getting full rashions and doing well they is a nother hard battle expected soon eather at Knoxville or betwheen this or that it will be a bloody one when it comes Johnson Reed got his box a fiew days a go and for you sending a box to me you need not do it for it is a risky business our regt is commanded now by lieut Colonel and he is a hard man on the boys our old colonel went home sick but we are expecting him back soon and i hope it may come soon for all the boys dont like this one well as i hant mutch to write i will close / hoping two hear from you soon and for me goining the veterans you can rest easy nothing more my love two all the family and ant mary

                                                                                   

yours truly Abram Kipp

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