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Lookout Valley Tenn. Friday Nov. 20 1863 Dear Friend. Having lots of leisure time today I thought I would drop you a line to let you in on what we have been doing since our arrival here at Lookout Valley. All of the paroled men belonging to the 11th and 12th corps were sent off from the parole camp on the first of the month. There were about 200 of us in all. We took a steamboat to Baltimore and from there we went on the cars to Bridgeport Tenn., which is about 25 miles from Lookout Mountain, where our Division and the 11th corps is stationed. We were about 16 days on the road, we stopped one day at Louisville, four days at Nashville and two days at Stevenson. We got here last tuesday and found the boys all well. They have been in one fight since they have been here. The first night our division got in the valley the Rebs came off the mountain and attacked but our forces repelled them. There was one man killed and one wounded in our company. Moses Lathpan of Geddes was killed and James Eustace, brother of Miss Eustace the school teacher, was badly wounded. The regiment is encamped about two miles from Lookout Mountain. At night we can see the Rebel picket and camp fires for miles along the top of the mountain. Lookout Valley, where our division is stationed, is about three miles wide and runs up from the Tennessee river between Lookout and Racoon Mountains. The valley is full of small hills which our forces have fortified so that if the Rebs should take a notion to drive us out they would find it a hard road to travel. Nearly every night some of the Rebs desert and come to our picket lines. They say that they are about starved out and that the Rebel army is falling back to Chatanooga. I suppose they are afraid if they stay on Lookout Mountain they will be trapped for the report is that General Sherman has crossed the river with two corps on the right of Chatanooga to cut off their retreat. I don't think they will run far before they give up in Chatanooga. We can best expect a battle before long, and a big one at that for the Rebs will try their best to whip us this time. Their trying will not do them any good because we are bound to whip them for sure. I don't suppose we will stay here long if the Rebs are retreating, but nearly all of the men are building log huts for winter Quarters. The house I live in is about 8 feet square and built of logs 5 feet high with our shelter halves for a roof. Four of us live in it. We have two nice bunks to sleep in, a good fire place and a cracker box for a cupboard. So you can see we have everything all right for keeping house but I suppose in a few days we will have to sling our knapsacks and shoulder guns for travel. If it would only end the war we are more than willing. Please write as soon as possable. From your friend Oliver |
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