May 27 Nashville Tenn Hospital

 

Dear Ruth and children i will try to write a few lines to you with my pencil i cant get a pen…well i have had a bad time with the irresiplus on my face it commenced on the left side as usual, then went all over my face and head i am getting well verry fast i have not had much done for me i am just getting well my self i have had a hard time ever since i left home when i got Davenport the reg had left i was tired of cars but started in 2 hours round by Chicoga through Indianoplus to Jeffersonville whare i caut up the reg, then went / strate to Chattanooga all by rail, then left our knapsacks and struck next morning for a long march i just took my gum blanket that and leaves and some times mud or rocks was my bead so we went on untill we came to the rebs on snake crick whare we fought them 4 days in succession i was in several dangerous places but came out un hurt poor David Shearer was shot through the head the rebs skedadeld Sunday night then we followed them 4 or 5 days then stopt at kingston Georgia. there i was taken sick with this irrisiplis and sent back after laying there in the brush on the ground 2 or 3 days suffering all most death 

 

then tis when one can think of home but i could onley think

                                                                                                well this war will be over some day then if i am alive i can come home to injoy life once more O how i long for the time to roll around

 

those rebs under Johnson had 1,25 thousand men we had about the same under Sherman the line of battle was 12 milds long my knapsack is at Chatnooga yet maby i will see it a gain and maby not i have been hear 2 days. write soon and maby i will get the letter before i leave for the front

 

tis only for me, John G Scoville

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