Out on picket five miles

from Nashvill December the 16^th 62

 

Dear Mother I seat my self to wright a few lines to let you now that I am well and hope those few lines will find you and the rest of the family enjoying the same blessing it has been several days since I have received a letter and if I dont hear from every few days I get homesick but I hope that the time will soon come when we can all come home and have peace a gain Mother you must not get out of heart about me the best way is never to think about it I now that by experience the more I think of home the the worse i am of by it we have a hard time of it here / we are the out side division and it makes the picket duty very hard our Reg has to gow on picket every three days and one day out of six after forage that is very hard for we have to gow tenn and twelve miles before we can get any and then have to fight for it it would make you laugh to see us start out to gather corn we generaly have four regiments of infantry one Company of Cavalry and a batery of artillery and it dont take us very long to gather a field of corn the rebels yesterday sent in a flag of truce to a Cavalry Company that was on picket about a half mile from where we are to day / and while they were parleying over the flag they sent a large force and atacted the company and killed and wounded several and took the most of them prisoners I guess our Capt will leave to day and now one in the company cares whether they ever see him a gain or not for he is the meanest litle hearted lazy stingy trifleing man that ever I see he to bee tarred and feathered and I think he will bee if ever Company F comes to Indianapolis I rote to Israel to send me a box of things if he has not sent it yet I would like for you to send some aples and buter some of the boys have got boxes / since we have been here he had beter send it as soon as he can for we ma have to leave here direct it to

Lieut James Caterson in

Care of Col Kniffler 79 reg

Ind Vols Nashville Tennisee

 

I must come to a close

 

So no more at present

remain your Son S M Harding

            To his beloved Mother

SOURCES