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Stevenson Ala. Jan. 23, 1864 Dear Parents ; All we have to do is guard the railroad bridge. Each one guards once every four days, and the rest of the time we do just about what we want to. We have good quarters, full rations, but very little to do. What does a good Union Solder need to make him happy. The woods around here are full of squirrels and there are plenty of ducks in the creek that runs through the camp. We find plenty of time to shoot when we go hunting. I have got me a Springfield Rifle that is sure poison to anything within a mile away. I was out in the woods yesterday and shot 5 grey squirrels and a duck in just about an hour. Isn't that doing big ? Lieut. Colville is here in command now. I don't know whether he will be made Captain or not, but we all hope that he will. Captain Seymore is now Provost Marshal at Bridgeport. I suppose this office suits him better than to be Captain for when we go into battle the Provost Marshall is in the rear and that is always considered to be the most healthy place to be during a scrimmage. I got the Harpers Weekly that you sent giving the sketch of the Battle Of Lookout Mountain. All of the pictures are as natural as they could be. I was going to send it back for you to keep, but I thought if you wanted one you could get it in the city. I saw a picture of Frank Leslies that pretended to represent the Battle Of Lookout Mountain but I don't believe the man who made it was ever out of the city of New York . The artist that sketched the pictures in Harpers must have come around after the battle and taken them or they would not have looked as natural. The pictures were taken where we took the last line of the Rebel Breastworks. The battled started about two miles from there. We had been fighting the Grey Backs for about four hours before we came to this last ditch. Please write as soon as you can and let me know how much the pigs weighed and howe Ned, Nell Kate and Son are getting along and whether father has got the thrashing done and the tobacco stripped, and anything else you can think of. Oliver |
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