Camped in the woods, near Dalton, Geo.

                                                                     May 10^th 1864

 

Dear Mother

                        I received the letter which you sent by John Cretors on Sunday last while I was on the march to this place. We started from Wauhatchie on Friday last at half past five o’clock in the evening and reached this place on Sunday about noon. The distance is about fifty miles. I consider that pretty good marching for new recruits. We marched thirty miles in one day. That was on Saturday. We only marched about ten hours on that day but we made good time. Our squad met Lieutenant Cretors and his party about fifteen miles back from here the place where we camped on Saturday night and when I got up to/where the regiment is camped I got a letter from Morrie dated April 30^th I was very glad to hear from you. Your letter was the first and Morrie’s the second that I have received since I have been out. I shall write to Morrie soon but I think that I will direct it to Lebanon as I don’t know where else to direct it. I wrote to Morrie the day after I wrote the first letter to you but directed it to Oxford and I suppose that he did not get it. At least he does not say anything about it in his letter. I wrote to Grandpa the first week that I was at Wauhatchie. When you write to Morrie tell him to make his knapsack as light as possible for he will find that twenty-five pounds will soon weigh a hundred while he is “marching along.” The very day that I got up to the regiment Companies A. B. E. & H. were sent/out on picket about three miles from here. We had to carry our knapsacks with us. A good many of the boys threw away their blankets on the march from Wauhatchie to here. I have carried mine threw this far but when it gets too heavy I shall sling it. I threw away my undershirts yesterday because they were to heavy and gave away one of my towels. I only kept such things as are of a “military necessity” as we boys call such things. I have a change of shirts and socks, a towel a couple of hand handkerchiefs my portfolio and my woolen blanket, my rubber blanket and my tent and that is heavier than I want to carry far. We were not in line of battle all night last night. We had our arms stacked and were allowed to lay down and go to sleep. We knew right were our arms were so that if we were called up we could go/right to them. We laid there all night and this morning got up and got our breakfast and then were ordered back to our quarters as it looked like rain. Has Pa been sick since I left. Are you well. How is the baby. Is Laura and all the rest of the folks well. Excuse this color as I borrowed it as our sutler has not come up from Ringgold. The 35^th New Jersey was all cut up and run like every thing. They say that our letters wont go home for thirty days. Write as soon as you receive this.

 

                        Your aff Son

                                                Willie

 

                        79^th Regt O.V. I.

                                    1^st Brigade, 3^rd Division 20^th A.C.

                                                            Nashville,

                                                                        Tenn.

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