Head Q^urs Provost Guard

Dalton Ga.

Jan. 29^th 1865

           

My Dear Parients

                                    Your letter of the 13^th inst I recieved today. I dont think I should ever have got it but I went to Chattanooga yesterday and got it with the paper from our old camp post office.

 

            We have been here about a week. I like it pretty well. I was detailed in the Provost Guard and so I do not have to go on picket the duty is light and it suits me firstrate. I was sent up to Chatt^a with a Rebel deserter and that brought me the letter. Deserters from the Rebs are comeing in every day they say they are sick of war and would all come in but for the / officers who keep them back. There are no Rebels that is any organised force but the Guerrillas are as thick as one could wish they are all around us but are in small squads of twenty five or thirty men and dare not attact any station where we have troops. They fired into the train from Knoxville Tenn yesterday but did no damage. so you will see riding on the cars is no pleasant buisness all the way up to Chatt^a and back. I had my rifle loaded and capped ready for we cannot tell what moment the cowardly "Imps" may fire at us from behind rocks or trees, or else remove a rail and have a smash up. that is the most common way of doing buisness / for it is a good time to attact in the confusion arising from the cars running off the track. But still I like it. You would laugh to see some of the boys rifle in hand closely watching the woods as we go whirling along. We saw a small company of them on horseback this morning when we were coming from Chattanooga but they took good care to keep out of range of our rifles This place has once been a pretty one but is mostly in ruins now. We number about one thousand infantry with four pieces of artillery There is no regular organisation but the force is made up from detachments of all the Regts in the Corps men who were sent back sick and those who were away from their Regts when the Army left Atlanta. You caution me not to / be in a hurry about going back to the Regt. I almost doubt whether we will ever go back again. I would have gone long ago if I could have got away and as for getting a furlough it is out of the question "unless I should chance to get a letter from home saying one of you were very sick and wanted me to come home immediately" If I should chance to get such a letter there might be a chance for a furlough. Our rations are not the best it is about all we can do to make a living off from them but I will not ask for money so soon after payday I am ashamed to But I cannot write more now I will write often now we have got settled—

                                                                       

Your affectionate son

Henry

 

Direct your letters to                                                               

Co C. 3^d Battallion Detachment 20^th Corps

Dalton Ga

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