Moscow Tennessee January 8th 1863 Dear Lucinda I Recd a letter from you last night dated Dec 21st It found me as well as usual and I was glad to learn that you was well and in good Spirits; Our mail mail communication has been cut off by the Rebels So that we have not had any mail from the North for over two weeks until last night but when the mail come in I got five letters one from you and one from Sarah McLain one from Sister Elisabeth one from Brother, O.H. Davis and one from Brother Isaac; you will See that we have moved again Since I wrote to you before we left Holly Springs a week ago last Monday afternoon and got here the next day this North [crossed out] [this] is about 25 miles ^ from Holly Springs on the Charleston and Memphis Railroad 12 miles west of Grand Junction and ,38, miles East of Memphis we have Just got the Rail Road fixed up and two Trains come in from Memphis yesterday We was put on half Rations when our provisions was Burnt at Holly Springs on the 18th of last month and had Strict orders not to Jayhawk [crossed out] [any] or forage [crossed out] [only] any from the citizens only when ordered by the Quarter Master notwithstanding the the order [crossed out] [illegible] Jayhawking Still went on and we generally had plenty to Eat we commenced Drawing full Rations yesterday; we have been been down about Seventy Miles South of here and the Rebels got in behind us So we [crossed out] [had] was compelled to back out and come back to this Rail Road to keep our Supplies from being cut off and awiait the Result of the River forces which I hear has been fighting at Vicksburg I dont think we will go South again before Spring and by that time I hope the war will be settled; the Sesesh Say that we Shall not use this Road form the Junction to Memphis but we have got it open now and we will try it a [clatter?] any way; we Just Rec,d a Dispatch last night that Rosencrans and Bragg had a fight in Middle Tennessee and that Bragg got Severly whipped So mutch good for that; Our western forces can lick the Sesh Every time but the Ill Success which our forces have had on the Potomac is not flattering and I fear that they will never take Richmond; I believe I wrote you a letter Since Chrismas [crossed out] [illegible] perhaps you would like to know how I Spent New Years well I will tell you we have a New Years [crossed out] [illegible] Eve frolic and a watch meeting; the day before New Years Our Company and Co. B. was Detaled to go about five miles west of town to gard a Railroad Bridge in the afternoon Some Negros come to us at the Bridge and told us that there was five hundred Rebel cavalry about [crossed out] [four] four miles noth of the Bridge that they intended to pitch or Capture us all that night So we kept a Sharp look out and kept all the Roads guarded coming to the Bridge at Dark two companies of that ware working on the Bridge Ingineers, ^ and our two companies making about ,150, [men?] in, we all went to work and Built a fort of cord wood near the Bridge about a hundred feet Square and about Breast high we got it done about nine Oclock we then felt pretty Safe and Kept Near our guns And watched for the Rebels till morning; but they did,nt happen to come and I was,nt Anxious to See them come but if they had we was well fixed to give them hail Columbia; I am on guard to day watching a Rail Road Bridge half a mile from town on wolfe River I Brought out my pen Ink and paper and am Sitting on a Block and writing on my Knee; Robert Mc is by my Side Sitting on his Knap Sack and writing on the head of an Empty nail Keg The whole number of the tigers now present is ,23, two of them are new Recruits leaving ,21, of the old Tigers officers and all two of them are Teamsters one Lieu,t and Three Sergeants which leaves ,15, privates of the Old Tigers for Duty; we have had some some men lately Returned from the Hospital which makes our Company larger than it was after the Battle of Corinth our, Co. was Reduced to nine privates; the Boys are all in tolerable good health now; Alvin Caulkins has Rec,d Several letters from his folks Since they went to Iowa they were all well I Believe the last he heard from them I dont think that Mary has written to Bill Cleary for two or three Months though I am not Certain at least Will has not Said anything to me about it; The last I heard from Ike Odell he was in the Hospital at St Louis and had not got his Discharge yet Ike has got Badly run down and Should have had a Discharge last fall; but a man Scarcely ever gets a Discharge here for being Sick unless he happens to be a favorite with the Doctors Many of them would Rather make out a mans Death warrant than his Discharge for the Doctors in the Army will not Discharge any more men than they can help Especially privates for fear of loosing their Reputation as a Successful Physician and gaining the Ill favor of the commanding Officers who wish to hold as prominent a command as possible for Self aggrandisement Irrespective of Justice or humanity; And they themselves at the Same time would not care a cent for their country or raise a musket to Save it only for big pay and making themselves a great name Sister Elisabeth wrote that My Step Father was Dead he died the 20th of Nov which I was verry Sorry to hear for he was a good man and was well Respected [crossed out] [and Kind] in his community and was Kind to my Mother Old Abe is Begining to inforce his Proclimation or his boys are inforcing it for him in this vicinity; we are Sending out foraging parties and Bringing in all the Niggers in the country where our forces have the power to do it a large train of Cars Just now passed loaded with Negros & cotton going to Memphis I dont know what massa Linkum is is [gwyin?] to do wid em but I Supose he will Distribute them around and let them work for their living they Say massa Linkum is a mighty good man and that him and all his Soldiers will go to heaven many negros have been patiently waiting for New Years to come with great hopes of being Set free and take their families with them I Recd a letter from Jabe before I wrote to you last he was then at Memphis I have not Answered it yet I will tomorrow I found five Stamps in your letter for which I am mutch Obliged You must not think; Because you are getting to be a woman of a family that you are getting too old to learn you Should when you have any leisure time turn your attention to your Books and improve yourself Especially in grammar and in Spelling you Spell Tolerable well though I find many words Spelled incorect and some language placed in bad form I will give you a Specimen on a Slip of paper So you can See how to avoid Some of it; my paper is out Yours as ever T.J.Davis Lucinda.M.Davis