kind friends that I may
have that oppertuinty
        give my
         love to
          al inqui
            ring
              friends

	Good bye
	  from
	  your
	  Brother
	   Andr
	   ew
	  Ferdon
	  write 
	  soon 
	  and 
	  often
	  and
	    tell
	others to
       write to

	Nashville Tenn
	Saturday Dec 13th 1862
         dear sister I take this opper
         tunity to answer your
         letter bearing date of Nov
         25 and was glad to hear from
        home once more I am in the
hospital yet and expect to remain in it for
the next two years for I do not think that
my back and hip will get any better
than it is now I dont have any pain
in them but my back is very weak
if I do get strong enough to nurse I
shall be detailed as regular nurse if I am
I shall get twenty Dollars per month that
is some consolation I wrote to you in
my last letter to send me a box of grub
and I expect it will be here next week
I long to get something from home to
eat I dont get any thing to eat but meat
and bread butter is .75..per pound

[Written on left-hand side of top of Scan 2]

me

and poor stuff at that and other thin
gs in proportion I have not had any
potatoes since I came into the southern
states but I cant complain for it is
hard work for the government to get
that here as fast as they use it up but
they do the best they can but I expect
they will have a heavy battle near
Merfreysborough before long and if
we ship them there will be better
times here there is about four hundred
sick in this hospital and there is 20
hospitals in this city they have hard
work to get good nurses enough to
take care of the sick but if I am det
ailed I shall do the best I can Joseph
Harrison is in this hospital he is getting
quite smart Mary I want you to keep
me posted in every thing that transpi
res around there and what is going on at Mothers
and what is done by Congress tell Earl
that I will write to him the next

letter I just received a letter from
Gared tell him that I will write to
				             nt			
him as soon as I get time I our Regime^
went out on a Scout the day before yes
terday they killed five rebbels and
captured a I mill full of flour and
returned to camp in safety that is
the style is it not    I have got one of the
worst men to take care of that I ever saw
he is ugly as a fat satan himself. there is
going to be several sent to the conv
alesent Hospital it will be better if
they [illegible in original] go you Said that you saw prety
girls when you was in Ohio and they
were smart why did you not take
one home with you and keep
her for me until I got home that
would have been the way to have
done it as for the southern girls
I dont like their style I have not
seen one good looking girl since I
left Detroit they are generaly

   d
indolent and ignorant they woul^
not do for me Sunday Morn I
had the diarhea all last night
and I feel rather weak this mor
ning there is prospects of rain
this morning I am going to
the regiment on a visit to day
the weather is quite warm this
morning the army is on the
move towards Chatanooga there
will be a battle fought in a
few days I think our regim
ent was out on dress parade yes
terday they Could not muster but
three hundred and sixty men
that is rather tough but the
men is getting recruited up so
that the regiment will begin
to fill up in a short time now
I suppose that the sleighing
is getting prety good there now
it looks rather odd to have such
warm weather in Decenber

[1862. Dec 13]

you said that you wanted me to write
you a good long letter and I will try
to write it but I will stop now until
I get back from the regiment I will
proceed a little farther before I go I have 
plenty to eat here such as it is it is all
bread and meat and coffee I suppose that
I shall have something to eat from home
[illegible in original] this week it will be so good to
get something from home I saw in
the list of sick in hospital [no?] 10
in Louisville that Charles is there
yet it was in the Detroit Tribune
if he dont get his discharge before I
get some stamps from home I shall
write to him and find out how he
is getting along I can see the tents of
our regiment from my window they
are about one mile from here I wish that
I could be with them tell Jared that
I want him to postpone his Marage

until I get home For I want to be
to his wedding I have not had any
letters from Ann in three weeks
is she sick there must be something
the matter for she has writen
to me every week before tell
E."D Walker that he must not be
				  e
breaking the girls hearts becaus^
the boys are all gone from there I received
aletter from larenzo the other day he says
that he wishes that he could move back
home so that he could be [illegible in original] on
his place I wish that I could move
home to and work on my place I have
just eat my dinner it was bread and
fresh Beef and rice and tea I have not
been to the regament yet I dont think
that I shall get there to day I guess
that one of my men will not live
long he is out of his head and is
very restless I have not heard from
uncle [illegible in original] Nelsons folks since I left
Detroit do you hear any thing from

them - I wish that you would send me
some papers to read the papers that we
get here is not worth reading they are
about half the size of the [Clinton?] Republi
can and they cost ten cents it is thro
wing away money to buy them there
is nothing in them I heard to day that
Burnisde had taken Vicksburg and
burnt it that is the only way to
bring the war to a close to take and
burn every place as they go along and
not have so many places to guard in
guarding so many places it takes
away to much of our affective forces
that is the reason that McClellan did
not succeed any better he had to much
of his force drawn off to guard that he
had taken it weakend his forces so that
he could do nothing until he had reinforce

ments I think that the war will
last for two years yet but I hope not
there is no more prospects of its
closing now than it did six months
ago Dec 15 I had a hard time last night
the man that I told you was so ugly
he is homesick and crazy and he would 
fight and kick and strike and scratch
because I would not let him go home
but he is more quiet this morning
it is raining this morning I was almost
tired out last night I was up until one O
clock Well Mary I must bring this letter
to A close I wrote to Mother two weeks ago
last friday but have not received any
answer yet I sent for some stamps I wrote
to you to send me some me some things
to eat if you have got it I shall expect a
box this week in regart to thinking
of the future the present is all that one can
think of still I miss the quiet of the the
sabath at home and the privelege of going to
meeting but if it is the will of heaven that
I shall be permited to return to my home and loved
ones again I shall know how to make them
I know that I have the prayers of many