Eastport Miss 8^th Nov 1863

                                                                                                                                    1863

 

Dear Brother

                        I received your letter on the 4^th inst while at Iuka and was very glad to hear from you. Our Regt left S[?]lsbury on the 31^st of last month, going by Railroad to Iuka Miss where we remained until the 5^th inst and then marched about 8 miles to this place. You will see by the map that we are on the Tennessee river some 20 miles above the Pittsburg Landing.

 

Gen Shermans Army Corps & a large part of ours crossed the river at this place and are on the road to Chattanooga. Our regiment was left behind in charge of several hundred sick soldiers, who are being sent down the river to Hospitals at Louisville & elsewhere. Our Regt is camped on a high bluff close to the landing. We are hard at work fortifying. / From our camp we can see for miles and miles up & down the Tennessee & up Bear river or creek. Our camp is in Mississippi but we can see away up into Tennessee & over the river into Alabama. To night I can see the woods on fire 15 or 20 miles from here on the other side of the river!—this is from the camp fires of our troops which have passed along there.

 

There are a few Steamboats here & 2 or 3 small gunboats now here but if the river continues falling they will all have to go down the river soon. we will also probably leave here in a few days if we do we will go down the Tennessee river & perhaps by way of Louisville & Nashville towards Chattanooga. We cant go back to Corinth by way of Iuka for that road has been destroyed by the rebels. The rebels are now in possession of Iuka which place is but 8 miles from here. They are only cavalry & our Generals dont trouble themselves about them for there is something more important on hand over in Georgia.

 

It is very cold up on the bluff here in a tent I am writing with a pair of gloves on Intend to have a fireplace if we stop here / long. I have a very nice bed for tonight by piling up small boughs of pine trees. these with three or four blankets make a bed almost as good as one of feathers.

 

We have not had a mail since the 4^th and I have not seen a paper for more than a week. our only communication now is down the Tennesse river & there has not a boat come up since we came here They all came up some time ago when Gen Sherman first came here. One boat goes down tomorrow and that is our chance to send letters. We have no idea what is going on out in the world

 

I have not heard from Lewis for a long time & dont expect to for some time to come as it will take a letter a long time to find us up here

 

I had intended to come home or try to this winter if we had not moved but there is no use thinking of that now

 

I sent some money home in a letter the a day or two before we left S[?]lsbury. there was two hundred dollars. It was sent in charge of a Lieut of the Regt. he was to take it to Girard & send the by hand or by mail from that place. would like to know whether it reached home or not /

 

I would like to write you a longer letter and give you a description of Iuka & its springs which were once almost as famous in the South as the Saratoga Springs are in the East: but I am getting so cold and hands so numb that I must stop.

 

You must write again and let me know what is going on about Franklin & give all home & neighborhood news. Are Alice Ella & Theodore going to school? How are Uncle Sober & Aunt Nerva & is Frank married yet? But no more

 

                                                                                    Your Brother

                                                                                                H J Keplinger

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