Camp Wickliffe 12 miles

From New Haven Ky Jan 9^th 1862

 

            Cousin I have treated you amiss in not writing to you sooner but don't think hard of me for I have not had much leasure time Our regiment has been in this state not a month yet and it has moved four times and it take up as much time to move fix to move one mile as it does for one hundred Therefore you can see by the moves we have made that we have had some little trouble fixing. We arrived at this camp on the sevnth inst and had to clear away the under brush before we could pitch our tents. Which was no small job as it was quite thick. We have a pleasant camping ground though. It is not quite as mudy as the one we left near Bardstown yet but if it continues to rain it will not be long before it is

 

"Shelt" If the fight was for Kentucky alone it might go to the devil for me because I see so many young fellows loafing around that ought to be in the army and then another thing the land that I have saw this far is not worth even the suffering of the most healthy soldier in the state The hills of Albright are / are fertile and level compared with this state as far as I have saw. Our camp is in the woods as I before intimated. the timber is black oak sassafras and chesnut, the soil is the poorest looking yellow clay I ever saw. Based on a soft shaly lime stone.

 

            The winter thus far has been quite mild. On new years day it was as warm as a september day the buzzards were flying around and the grasshopper flipping as merily as summer but since then it has been a little snappish some snow has fallen but it melted as fast as it fell. yesterday it began to rain and it drizzled nearly all day and night this morning was damp and smokey and has continued so all day.

 

            Our regiment has been brigaded under general Hazen and in G^en Nelson's division, a man whom none of those that know him likes very much

 

            The seventeenth reg is here and I have saw Jake Woods and Bill Edwards they both are fat and hearty Bill in particular looks better than I ever saw him

 

            Look in any direction here you will you see a linnen village as I suppose there must be 20 reg encamped at this camp.

 

                        I must close by biding you good by

            yours truly                   R N Harding

                                                            to S M Harding

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