Mountain Grove Sixty Miles south
East of Rolla, Mo

March 11^th 1863

 

Dear Brother

                        Yours of the twenty fifth came to hand yesterday. And I was glad to hear from you and the folks a gain. I am well and enjoying health at present. The health of the regmt is generaly good at present with the a few exceptions which there a few down with the mumps and a bad cold. Rice and Scott are considerably bunged up and have been so for the last two weeks they have not been able for duty. Joe R. has been acting orderley. as for news there is not much in camp now. Capt Cha^s Stevens of C^o C. is Judge Advocate of the Brigade now. /

 

Channing Edwards of the war office is detailed as judge advocates Clerk. Lieut Ferguson has returned to the rgt again.

 

He will never be able to march again with the company. He is thinking of getting in as Brigade quarter master. But I dont know whether he will make out or not. The thing has not been decided upon yet. Our Chaplin Rev. Mr Marble has resigned and he started for home yesterday morning. Good riddance of bad rubbish. he has near delivered onley about a half a dozen sermons since he left Madison. Lieut G. W. Barter of Co D was discharged has resigned from service yesterday. He did not amount to much for he was sort of a low lived blow hard. he was better out of the service than in. /

 

            I heard this morning that they had had an other engagement at vicksburg with terible loss of life on both sides. But did not hear which side came out victorius. What do you think of the conscription act and Old Abe calling for 800,000 more men I think there is a right smart chance of the Home birds to show their bravery yet before the war is closed. You can tell father that I see enough of wanting tobacco without myself indulging in the filthy habit. I consider myself just so much a head by not using the weed It onley costs $1. a plug down here. I have seen the boys chew it over twice and then smoke it sometimes when they hard up and had no money. Jo. R. has got so he smokes and chews both. /

 

There are a great many bushwackers around this part of Misery.

 

I was out with our train after forage last friday and we was driven in to camp by the d—d Butternuts. We was out about ten mile from camp and seeing quite a good sized house a bout a half a mile of from the road we started for it. when we got within forty rods of of the house, we saw a bout a dozen men come out and mount their horses and they all rode off except two who stopped till the wagon master rode up. he halted within about five rods of them and they asked him who he belonged to. he said the federal armey and they replied that they would go and get the rest of their boys and they would have that train at that we turned around and began to retreat for camp and they followed us for about a mile when we came to a deep valley we had to go through and they came out on top of the mountain and fired on us but did not have any effect on us. we returned the fire with vigor and laid three or four of them low They followed us about a mile farther and fired on us again but without effect. This is all this time

 

answer soon    from your Bro S. Strong

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