Camp Wood Ky

                                                                                    Feb the 4^th 1862

 

            Dear sister with pleasure I embrace the present opportunity of answering your kind letter which I received yesterday. I was glad to hear from you and that you was well it found me in good health. The health of our regiment is improving The camp fever is about subsided and I think we soon can fetch as large a regiment on the field as there is in this camp There is another disease beginning to prevail in camp still more contagious and fatal than that which we have been contending with so long and that is the smallpox it is in the 38^th Ind. and 78^th Pennsylvania every means will be employed by officers and Doctors to prevent it from spreading over the camp. The bodies of the rebel General Zolligoffer and Lieutenant Peyton who was killed at the battle of/ Summerset was in our camp a couple of days General Buell had their bodies embalmed and put in metallic coffins and sent them to the Rebel lines with the by a flag of truce The last time we was on picket we expected an attact from the enemy our regiment deployed out as skirmishers along our whole line of pickets and kept in that position until nearly night but the enemy did not make his appearance that evening the next morning about ten Oclock our Lieutenant Colenel seen about thirty of the rebel cavalry near our picket lines he came to our company and took sixteen of us and took across the mountains hoping to cut of the retreat of the enemy but we was about twenty minuts too late the enemy had smelt a rat and mad good his escape I was reported that a skirmish took place day before yesterday between our pickets and some of the rebel cavalry You will find the rest on the other half sheat/

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