Martin Fulk Camp near

                                                                                                Nashville Tennessee

 

Mr Sprankel Esqr

                        it is with pleasure that I can pen you A few lines to inform you of my whare abouts Mr sprankel it is a raning to day and it has bin raning for three or four days and it has made it verry mudy              I have not much to write to day every thing appears to be quiett about nash ville I have seen a little how a battle looks allthough I have not bin in any butt I have bin close anull to hear the boolets whistle over my head I supose you heard about the battle our men had with hood at nashville before this time one morning at four o clock we was called up out of bead and hade three days rations putt in our haversacks and then we was marched out in the line of battle and we marched five or six miles over hill and valley untill we came to a high hill whare thare had bin an old fort and thare we/ stacked armes and ley wateing for the enemy we stayed thare all night and lay upon our arms untill next morning three oclock the ambulance wagons begane to come in and other waggons kepp a continual coming with the wounded from the fite at franklen and then the canon commensed roring and you could see swormes of men coming and retreeting from franklin fror miles you could see men on every hill you could see people by thousand and then I saw the danger of war for the first time at daylight the artillerry waggons begane coming in to our forte untill thare was about twenty batteries planted on that hill and others hills whare fortifying in the same maner as fare as you could see and about ten oclock generral tomas and general roussou and thare ades came rideing up in to our fort Which made it quite interesting to me and Mr general tommas is quite an intelliageeble looking man he is a man that will way about one hundred and eightty pounds has grey grey whiskers and grey hare I have not gott room to give you a full history as I would like to do and it is a good while sins the fite/

 

Mr Sprankel I like soldier life verry well hood made his brags that he was a going to eate his dinner in Nashville on Christmast butt I think he has don it butt over the left I think sume of his men are dewing it now while hood is running the other way with his shirt tale sticking out behind and with the loss of about 10,000 of his men John donte you think he is dewing pretty well what do the sneeking copperhedd think of it upp north John dew they talk as much as they did before the we left if they do just talk up to them and tell them what you think about them

 

John how is our union club getting aloung is it prospering or has it went down John I want you to write to me for you have more time then I have got and then it is more revioing to read a few lines from an old friend up north whare it looks more like living. John it looks more like an heathing land then any thing else heare around Nash Vill you cant see any fence for miles and now howses in the cuntry and the people look like if they/ did not know much the niggrows look like if they knew more then the white men) I have saw so many rebbs that I am tyerd of seeing them that is priserners I must close as it is time for dressperrade so no more at present

 

            you must excuse my Writing for and my mistakes for I have nothing to write on butt my knee and you know that is a poor way to Write

 

            John I want you to Write sune and then I will write more) thare is sum talk of us leeving for Charles town and then gow to Sherman for We belonge to that Corps and then we will see the elophant I hope we will get to go for I am tyerd of this plase

 

            Martin Fulk to John Sprankel

 

Direct your letter in care of Capten Bigelow Company F 142 regiment Ind vollenteers Camp near nashville

                        Tennessee

 

            Martin Fulk to John Sprankel

                                    yours truly

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