Camp Bates Ky Oct 7^th 1862

 

            As I have nothing much to do this morning I thought I would write a few lines I was on guard last night and I am excused from duty to day I think last night was as fine a night as I ever saw in my life it was clear as day it is no trouble to stand guard when the nights are pleasant and clear but when they get wet and cold it will not be so nice but it will have to be verry bad if a man cant stand it two hours on guard and four hours off and the four hours they have a tent to sleep in we have moved our camp about one mile south of where we were we have better ground for a camp than where we were but I dont think we will stop here verry long for all the soldiers round here are moving off and new ones coming in all the time so that we have put about the same number of troops here all the time the news here are verry cheering here now we have a good chance to get the news here for the daily papers are brought into the camp every morning regular so that you need not send any more papers to us while we are here for we get the news before you do I got four papers Saturday night that you sent but there was no news in them that we had not seen before you had So you can save your postage stamp and write more letters for letters are more acceptable to us than papers there is some of the boys that has never got a letter yet from home and if there folks / could hear them swear when the mail is distributed they would would write oftener

 

            Wednesday Oct 8^th we have finaly left Camp Bates we started at 8 oclock this morning and went down by Covington which is 5 miles from our camp and about 2 miles south west of there we met with the 96 Ohio Reg the 83^rd Indiana the 118^th Ohio the 10^th Kentucky Cavelery and the 5^th baterry of Indiana and 9^th Ohio battery and parts of two Ill Regiments which makes up our brigad the day was verry warm and the roads was verry dusty and carraing our napsacks and guns catridge boxes with 40 rounds in them and two days rations in our haversaks and marched in all about 18 miles with the stoping and fanning and poor water made us all think of home finaly we are camped in a nice meadow with plenty of good apples we had plenty of good coffee for supper and I think the regular old coffee is the best after all we will have to sleep with out tents to night but the weather is so dry and clear that would just as leive sleep with out tent as not well the drum is beating so I must stop (Thursday Evening) we started this morning at 5 oclock the roads is good and the weather verry warm and we all feel rather sore and stiff carring knapsacks is not so nice a thing as it is cracked up to be but about 11 oclock the Colonel ordered us to uncling knapsacks which we all did in a hurry for some of the boys had given out so we rested about an hour and loaded our knapsacks on a wagon and started of as fresh as ever at about one oclock we met / a company of Cavelary coming in with 9 guerila prisoners and hard looking customers they were we stoped at 8 oclock on a verry high hill on a old meadow we made about 15 miles and if ever you saw a tired lot of boys it was then our Capt was used up his feet was all blistered and a good many of the boys had verry sore feet for my part I stood first rate my feet is sound as a dollar our wagons is on the rear end of the train which brings it about 3 miles back well the Capt is calling for twenty men to volunteer to go and help the boys wagons up the hill so I will go and stop for the present 10 PM I have got back without the wagons we stoped in the valley about a mile from camp to wait for the teams and after we had been there about half an hour when a mesenger came and told us we had orders to march in 30 minutes so that we could not get there by that time so we come back on the double quick up a verry steep hill which took the wind out of the best of us so when we got there we found the boys all up and harnessed and ready for the roads so we got our traps on in a verry few minutes so when we where all ready the order was countermanded so the wagon squad was called out again but I concluded I should not go to night again So I thought I wold finish up my journal for to day the 96^th caught a reble about dusk he was a going of with with a sadle on his back when the haulted him and he threw it into the brush and run his best of through a field when a Cavelary man got after him and struck him over the head with his saber which brought him to the ground they then / then brought him into camp and had his head dressed he is a fine looking man but sulky as a mule and wont answer any questions at all well the boys are coming back with the wagons so we will have our blankets and try to sleep some for we will have to start early in the morning Friday noon we started about 4½ oclock this morning and marched on to the licking valley before we got our breakfast we had some crackers in our haversacks that kept our concious at least but it was a hard march of 8 miles without our regular coffee but we have plenty of water and good coffee the water is rather poor but any kind goes here after we had eat our diner we loaded our wag our wagons and was all ready to start it commenced to rain so we were ordered pitch our tents which pleased us all verry much so I am writing under cover as comfortable as circumstances will permit the whole Brigad is camped here to gether when we first came here the boys was tired and hungry so the boys went into the confiscation business prety strong the Artilerary boys and Cavelary boys killed some 8 or 10 large hogs and the other boys killed sheep geese turkeys chickens and everry that they could get there hands on so we have all the fresh meat we will for some time I dont know how long we will stay here now not longer than till the weather setles we are on the road to Lexington to reinforce Buel or at least that is the suposition among the small fry of officers the country as far as I have seen is a rough baron country and no farming or any thing else going on the timber is good and just such as we had in Ohio I had a letter from Sarah M^cConnell last night it was wrote on the 11 of Sept so it was old news but it was the best letter I have got for many a day just the kind I like for she give some acount of what was going on the neighbourhood I dont expect that we will get verry regular /

 

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mail any more or not untill we get setled down again but the mail will follow after awhile I expect that this Brigade will be kept moving for a while

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