Out on picket

Decmber 22^th 1862

Nashville Tennisee

 

Dear Brother yours of the 18^th and was very glad to hear from home and to hear that you was all well we have been having a darned tuff time of it for a week or two last Saturday night the rebels fired on our pickets with artillery and musketry and we were ordered out to reinforce them but before we got out to them they left and we got / in camp a bout tenn oclock and Sunday we were just starting to church and the order come for too regiments to gow with the teams belonging to our brigade batery after forage we went about six miles out on the murfreesborough road and we found a small field of corn Company F of of the 79 and Company A of the 19^th Ohio was deployed forward as skirmishers we went about a quarter of a mile in front of the field and stationed our selves behind afen / a fence and we could see the rebels moving about just out of gunshot and they would not come any closter after we got our wagons loaded they come up in site with a batery and a bout two Reg of cavalry and Col Keffler said we would try them a shot or too but as soon as we wheeled our batery in to potit position they run like devils untill we started back to camp and they started after us again but they would not come in range of / our long twelve pounders Id I am glad to hear that you have sent me the things that I sent for Id you must excuse this bad wrighting for the damed Secesh keep sliping up and shooting at us every litle while but they dont do any harm So no more wright soon

 

Shelton Harding

to         J P Harding

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