Paris Kentucky March 27^th 1863

 

            Dear Sister

                                    I will now write a few lines I cannot write as much as I would like to night but I will devote a few moments to that purpose we left Newport News last Saturday. we stoped at the fort and the Col and Lieut Col went on shore to report to Gen Dix for orders and when he returned I was agreeably surprised & find my box in the boat. Everything was in the best of order it could never have been received in a more acceptable time as we had only hard bread for rations. I cannot stop to speak of all the articles sufficient to say everything came acceptable. Sergt Jenks sends his thanks to you and the ones who sent his packages. he could not give Fredrick his although we passed close to the Minisota. My thanks to Uncle, and Benjamin, Rebecca, Mary A and all who contributed have some of the stuff with me now in the eatable line / shared with Walter & Seth on the boat they are both well and send their regards to all. well now to the text left Newport News in the City of Richmond on saturday arived in Baltimore at 4 PM Sunday 22^d they fired a salute from Fort McHenry on our arival left B— by rail at 9½ PM with the 79 New York train of 28 cars. several of the regt deserted in Baltimore Arived at Harpers Ferry on 23^d at 6 AM stoped about two hours got bread & coffee passed through several important towns the day on the 24^th stoped at Grafton got coffee & bread arived at Parkersburg 25^th quite a city took the Eclipse on the Ohio arived at Cincinnati Ohio 26^th 2 PM had a fine ride on the cars through Western Virginia also a fine sail down the Ohio stoped at Cincinnati 3 hours were never treated so well before they gave the regt a good dinner in 4^th St Market then filled all our haversacks / besides making every man a present of a boiled ham they acted as though they could not do enough for us. we were the first New England Regt ever in the city found many Mass men some from Plymouth Col Pierce attracted considerable attention it would be impossible to use men in better shape than we were used Bully for Cincinnati left at 5 PM crossed over to Covington Kentucky (a city) where we took cars left the city at 9 PM and arived at this place early this morning were are 80 miles from Covington Gen Burnside gave Col Pierce the command of this place in C— while there the Corps is being scattered about. This is a beautiful place fine farms quite a place contains seven Churches. there are two very large important bridges (rail road) within rifle shot of our camp / that the rebels threaten to destroy expect a raid here only part one Ohio regt here that has been here some time there are not over 300 of us they made a raid above us 20 miles on the 25^th our men here brought in 13 rebels captured outside today I saw them we left two Companies of our regt on the railroad about half way here last night Co H & B the Col says we shall probably stop here some time if we do our duty which will not be hard I never seen a more splendid place they have two whisky stills here dont like that. herd fireing of artilery beyond us today guess it was near Frankfort our duty will be to look out for Gurilars on the RR and town, cant think the 29^th will be so lucky as stop in such a place as this long we are in shelter tents on the farm of Capt Lemos some of the citizens say of the C—Army others Capt of the [?] its a splendid place

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