Nashille Tennessee

Dec 18^th 1864

 

Dear Brother

                        I have just received a letter from you and one from Jehiel one from Mother and one from Lee Laxon Well I will answer yours first Well Corprall Hood has been playing hell with his army they are about played out. Mr Thomas see that he did not intend to fight verry soon so he went for him the other morning well the first day our men more than drove him and the next day done the same as we did the first. I suppose you know I am detailed at Brigade Head Quarters I am orderly for the Lieutenant I have a good horse to ride and a darkey to take care of him I do not have to go in a fight without I want to but the other day I heard them fighting pretty good lick and the Sergt wanted to know if I would go out there if he would I told him I / would so we started and we got in good plain sight of them on a big hill and we see them forming to make a charge to take a battery so the Sergt and I got to dareing each other to go and take a gun and go in the charge with them and so we went we got into the 36^th Ills and went up with them and took two pieces of Artillery the skedaddled with the rest after we got up thare they run up a battery as quick as they could and then begun to play up on the Johnnies we tride to have them let us take a number on the gun but they said thare officers would not like it so we did not and then we got a Johnnies gun apiece and started for camp the next day we heard them makeing a charge and we took a horse a piece and started but we did not get thare untill it was all over agoing out we met 15 hundred privates and two Generals besides the other Officers that our men had taken prisoners we have killed wounded and taken prisoners about 12 / thousand whare our loos is onley about one thousand this is not news papers report but from a better source we have captured 42 pieces of Artillery about all the Johnnies has got I guess I think before long we will join our Corps at Savannah we will have to go around by the way of New York and that will be bully I paid for the expressage of that money one dollar and and thirty or thirty five cents I do not know which the next money I send I shall not pay for and then they will try and get it through quicker well it is as muddy as hell if not muddyer and still rains well I guess I will not write aney more this time I send love to all from

                                   

Your Brother

J D Beach

Head Quarters

Reserve Artillery

Nashville

Tennessee

                                   

In care of Capt Kingsbary Q.M.

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