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Stevenson, Ala. April 23rd 1864 Dear Parents; We are still in camp near Stevenson and are having our drills and dress Parades every day regular. The regiment has had a lot of White Gloves delt out to them. There wasn't enough of them for every man, so no one wears them on dress parade except the men in the front rank. We expect to draw rations of paper collars in a few days. When we do , we will be in some style, I reckon. I sent you a Cincinnati paper the other day with General Hookers report of the battle of Lookout Mountain and Ringgold. General Hooker and Thomas were in Stevenson the other day looking at the forts. I suppose we will have to leave for the front before long, for I suppose old Joe is looking for a fight. About a hundred men from our brigade have been up to Nashville and have brought back 600 mules for our division. This war is mighty hard on the poor mules. Last summer there was a mule convalescent camp about a half mile from where our camp was. There were about 100 dead mules laying on top of the ground. I heard them tell of some one smelling a rat but a mule can beat a rat I reckon. I am writing this letter while on picket about two miles from Stevenson. They post pickets in a circle around Stevenson for fear that the Johneys will come and carry off the town after dark. This is the first time I have been on Picket since Chancelorville. Things are a little more quiet along the picket line now. Three of us are posted near a large brick house belonging to an old man who owns a large farm. He says he used to have plenty of niggers and good fences but there ain't anything left of the fences or the darkeys, The old man has been out here talking to us. One of the boys told us he thought his cattle had a pretty big pasture to run in. Yea, he says. " When you boys came in here last summer they enlarged my pasture right smart, I reckon". I suppose he meant by that, that Uncle Sam's muddies used his rails to make coffee. Oliver |
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