Columbus Ky May 15^th 64

 

                                                            Dear Brother

                                                            It is with pleasure I now address you these few lines to lett you know I am in the land of the living yet I received yours of the 11^th and was very glad to hear that you was all well It was Cyntias letter that I received The weather is quite pleasant hear to day but alittle cool It rained very hard yesterday We are as yet inside the fort but hope we will not remain in it long for every thing is rather dull although time passes very fast We have plenty of music in our company now 3 or 4 fiddles 1 tamborene 1 banjo 4 or five brass instruments and minstrels plenty of them I received a letter from Hank afew days since he was well and one from Phillip and Lew at the same time They were both well/

 

We started out on ascout the same day I wrote the last letter to you but had not got the orders to march untill after I had posted your letter We were out 5 days There was nothing worthy of note occurred while we were out but I will give you an account of it as we went it may interest you some so here goes the 1^st day orders came about ten oclock for us to be read to march at 12 N. with 4 days cooked rations in our havesacks we was not going to have our wagon with us and carry our blanket on our back we only took one blanket with us and arubber blanket to keep us out of the wet accordingly we took up our line of march at 12 oclock with a force about 1,000 strong 1 regiment of infantry ahead of us We marched 16 miles over bad roads and went into camp at Clinton another small and worthless town but a county ceit our instructions were take all you want I am sorry to say that many citizens were left in want for a good many/ of the netssaries of live

 

our mess had chickens for breakfast as it was to be taken we was not a going to want for vegeatables mother earth was our bed and beding so you may know we had plenty of bed and the starry sky for covering Lett me state here that we had pleasent weather all the time we were out 2^ond day we broke camp about 6 oclock to march towards Feliciana distant 17 miles the roads were some better here we marched on quietly untill about 10 oclock when the rebs were reported only 1 mile and 1/2 ahead waiting for us to come but that did not scare us atall we f kept steadaly on our course untill we reached the town of F

 

F about 3 oclock another worthless little town in old Kentuck which state we did not leave at all here the boys went in and took agood deal of property besides two barrels of Whiskey which some of the boys prized very highly but I am happy to say that none of them/ got intoxicated I dont know whether it was the thought of being turned into a spred eagle of or not it have been the sense of duty but I am afraid not Here was some gold and silver captured here at this place but no great quantity 3^rd day out We took up our line of march at our usual hour 6 for mayfield distant about 22 miles We traveled on quietly all day with but very little to disturb us our boys were out capturing mules and horses to ride rather than to go afoot We reached Mayfield about 3 oclock where there was afew rebs fired on our advance but did not wait for to see us We marched on through town about 1 mile and went into camp I was on guard here We had to carry grain to feed our horses about 3 miles in our blankets on our horses The water that we had to drink here was very poor slew water At half past 11 the rebs made a dash on our pickets and captured 12 of them and geting away with them with the loss of but one man killed/ the picket was killed and two made their escap leaving 9 in the hands of the rebs after that our boys went in to striping the town which they had not done before There was a volley fired the pickets was captured which alarmed the camp we had to harness our horses and stand to arms untill morning but the rebs did not come back It is now about dinner time I guess I will halt till after dinner be fore resuming the march although I am in camp now Dinner is over and now I take up my line of march again 4^th day we broke at our usual hour and marched back toward Clinton distant 25 miles by this time 25 out 36 of our canoneers are mounted on horses and mules and can go all most any place we please but about 10 There was a squad of rebs crossed the road just in front of our advance and th after that we kept alittle closer We did not capture any of the rebs after that we marched by our battery all the way to Clinton where we arrived about sundown/ and went in camp on the same ground that we had occupyed when going out now we are within 16 miles of camp We have had very pleasent weather all the time by this time the boys had as much stuff as they could carry now come the 5 and last day We received to turn over all of our captured stock to the quarter master 10 miles ahead at the Olbion river on a small but ugly creek We did not want to turn them all over so we took some scissors and went to work to cut US on some of them I had the nicest one in the lot and good sadle when I got to where we had to turn them over I rode up to the qua master and told him mine was a US mule and I was wagon master of the battery he looked and saw the US and said all right he told me to stay there and pick our battery horses and mules out as they came along I acted accordingly after that we marched along quietly in to camp/ where we arrived about 3 oclock We had not been in camp 5 minutes before it commenced to rain and rained nearly all night hard Evry is green and nice here now and glorious good news from general Grant it makes a fellow fell feel good The health of the boys is quite good now I would like to march about one week and lay still a week all summer I would not care much which way or if it was to the [?] coast of south Carolina or the southernest parts of Texas O yes John we are having a fruit cake for dinner which is quite nice for soldiers to eat We have been drawing a supply of clothing to day Our old boys will be home this week and then I expect we will be paid again You may think if my letters keep on increasing in size I will be writing good sized letters A Addams and all the rest of the boys from Lane are well It might be proper/ for me to mention their names I will do it as far as I know who they are There is Addams Billy and Jo steefe Steele Henry Landers but he has not yet arrived in camp and Bob padgett you knew he was here There is a lot of other boys here from Lane but I donot know whether you knew them or not Tell Maria she must think hard of me for not writing to her as long as she hears from [?] It would do you do y good to be here and hear the magic word mail called out about the time for it to arrive in camp every thing will appear still and quiet and you would think it would be impossible to find a dozen men any place in camp but let the word mail be sounded after the whistle of the mail boat is heard and you can see them rolling out by scores with eager looks in their faces each one wondering if he will get any letters or how many he will get some times some of the boys get 6 or 7 at a time but/

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