Camp Yates Kentuckey

September 10^th 1862

 

Sister I take my pen in hand to inform you that I am well and in good spirits we have hard fare here some we have nothing to eat and some days we have nothing but a litle Cofee and some pilot bread and that is so hard that it has to bee soaked in water for one hour before we can eat it we have had some hard marches since we have been here last thurs day the long role was sounded throug the camp and every man was in line in less than no time some of them was scared so bad that they could not walk and they / took very sick and went back to camp we started off at double quick and we went about one mile and then we halted about one hour and they suplyed us with 20 rounds of cartrages and then we started on the Shelby Ville road and we marched about 8 miles and we met some of the wagons from Lexington Shelby Ville and we halted and formed line of batle on both sides of the road on a high hill and laid down on our arms for the nigt but we I could not sleep for in a litle wile the Cavalry comensed passing us and 4 thousand Cavalry on retreat you now would make some noise and artilery of the / heavyist size that is drawn by horses and they make some noise we had the 19^th Ind Batery with us and they posted it all a long the the line one gun in a pace and we expected to have a fight but we did not see any secesh about three in the morning we was drawn up in line again and the 12 Infantr comencd passing us and such a site I never seen some of them had marched for six days since the batle at Ritchmond some of them said that there Regiment had not more than 160 men left we stood by the road side untill they all passed and then we started back to the camp and we got back about one oclock / tired and hungry as we had nothing to eat untill we got in to camp ex

 

last monday we was ordered to draw rashions for six days and we struck tents about 4 oclock an packed up for a march we marched out of camp and started to Louisville and the dust here is about fore inches deep and it was very bad marching but we made the trip there in good spirit and we was halted in the town and we stood there for one hour and then we was ordered back to camp      Gabe I must stop witing for I am ocupying Lieutenant Johnson tent and he wants to go to bed so no more at present

 

wright soon     Your Brother and

friend now and for ever

 

Shelton M Harding

                                    to

Gabriella Conaroe

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