Fort Donalson                                                                                                 Apr 18^th 1863

 

                                    Well Friend Chank what you doing up dar are you a sowing wheat yet or what are you a doing if you are not a sowing I suppose you begin to think about it I guess that wheat is pretty good price yet now in the North Lieut Sykes was wounded here in the battle and went home for a short time he tells me that Aunt Martha is a selling all of my wheat in the been for one Dollar per bushel that is better than I expected at them licks I wish I had a 1000 bushel to sell aint I selfish

 

                                                                                                                        Well chank what about the coppertails up / North are they as saucy as ever how I should like to give them Thunder there are a few in Ills east of Dothan that I should glory in seing drafted into the service and shoulder a musket wouldent that make them itch and scratch how I would laugh to se them with a heavy knapsack on their back (as the Niggars say) a toating it through the mud

 

            Gen Rosencrans has isued an an order to clean out Tennesee and Kentuckey he has sent out a scouting party from his Brigade to forage and glean the country they draw no rations from government but subsist on what they can get as they go through the country they take evry horse and mule and evry head of cattle they come across in fact they take / evry thing that wil do the enemy any good and if they find any thing that they dont want that will do the enemy any good they distroy it they are bound that they shant raise any thing they are a going to starve them out and by that means they think to rid the two states of Rebels there were about 4000 of Old Gen Rosas men passed here one day this week mostly mounty they have pack saddles on their horses & mules to carry their grub and they had some light artilery along to scare the gurrillas with

 

            I am in hopes our co wil get out on a scout one of these fine days it is a getting warm here now and we can scout and sleep out on the ground pretty comfortably the apple trees are / all blossomed out the peach blossoms are all gone long ago the grass is a getting a nice start and on the whole things look quite like sumer I had a letter from Ben a short time ago he is enjoying himself first rate I should like to se him I am in hopes the war will play out before long and we all get to go home

 

                        Well I believe I dont think of any thing more to wright so I wil close for this time Pleas wright again and Oblidge

                                                your Friend

                                                John Edgerly

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