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Stevenson Ala. March 25, 1864 Dear Father; I received yours and Georgias letters yesterday and as it is raining and I havn't anything else to do, I am going to answer it immediately. I havn't anything to write about except the weather which has been mighty unsartain for the past week. It commenced snowing last Monday night and in the morning the snow was about a foot deep. Last Wednesday Harison and I went after Turkeys. The snow was just right to track them. We came across a flock of them and chased them all day long. We didn't get near enough to get a shot but once and I wounded a big gobbler. It broke his wing so he couldn't fly, but the way he used his legs was a caution. I chased him over the hills and through the woods all day and had to give up at last. I have heard a lot about a wild goose chase, but I reckon a goose can't hold a candle to a wild Turkey. Yesterday we found a deer track and Harison and I followed him all day. We came in sight of him once but we couldn't get a shot at him. There are plenty of deer around here. There is a large mountain a short distance from camp that was covered with deer tracks yesterday, but the trees and bushes are so darned thick it is very hard to get a shot at them. There is one kind of game that is hunted considerable, especially when their tracks are found near the railroad. The soldiers generally have pretty good luck hunting them, although they are most always so poor and tough that they are not good to eat. The soldiers call them Guerillas although some of the inhabitants say that is not their right name. There were about 75 of these animiles that came across the railroad track about 20 miles from here a few days ago. They tore up some of the track and ran a freight train off the track and set it afire. They also killed four niggers that were on the train. Two companies of the fifth Tenn. Calvary started off after them and after chasing them about 40 miles they overtook them while they were crossing a small river and killed over half of them. The last we heard they were after the rest of them. These Tenn. Calvary men are death on Guerillas. When ever they get into a fight with Guerillas the number of wounded and the prisoner they take is always in proportion to the number killed as 1000 is to 100. Oliver |
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