No 20
        Lancaster K.Y.
            March 31st /63
Sister Emma
          Good morning
How do you do this
morning. I feel first rate
We have had quite a tramp
since I wrote before at
Stanford. We were ordered
to retreat we went back
to Danville and stayed over
night about noon the Reg
were called out in line of
battle and stayed there
a while then begun to
Skedaddle the battery
fired several shots but
could not stop them
(the Rebs) the rebs fired
a few to Jay was one of
the battery men that did
the fireing when they first
began fireing we were between
the rebs and town but were
ordered to retreat without
fireing a gun after we
got through two Co A
were put [crossed out] [as] behind the
battery next to the cavalry
as rear guard to keep our
cavalry back so as not
to let the rebs come up
and take the cannons.
we had to charge bayonets
on them we had no chance
to fire on the rebs because
our cavalry were between
us and them. if we had
let the cavalry by us the
rebs would have rushed on
to us. They tried very hard
to get our train they 
divided and went around
on each side of the road trying
                                         er                    
to get ahead but whenev^
they would come in sight
in a good place the boys
would toss a shell over
among them. once one 
shell emptied [crossed out] [th] seven
saddles at another it
knocked horse rider and
all. once they got into the
road ahead of us but the
22nd was close by and made
them skedaddle back the
22nd was ahead of our Reg
They took several of our
boys prisoners that were
on picket one from our Com
the other one from our Com
that was on picket got
away one of the rebs came
upto him and asked him
where he belonged he
said he was one of Morgans
men then the reb asked
him where he got his gun
he said he took it from
a d-d yankee he told
the reb he had just had 
his horse shot from under
him and was hunting
another so with that
the reb let him pass
on by lieing a little
he got clear. there were
one Lieut from our Reg
taken. he said there were
80 parolled at the time
                                         d      
he was, they were parole^
in Lancaster , court
house. They gave him a 
paroll of honor to report
within 20 days at Knoxville
Tenn. His name was
Adams from Co. G
We retreated as far as
                                      t
the K.Y. river that nigh^
and stopped we stayed
                                     t
in the bridge that nigh^
(or what was left of the 
night after we got there)
the next morning we 
                                      d
went out to camp staye^
a little while and then
the Regiment went
back across the river
I stayed with the team
and have been with them
ever since. We stayed
at camp Scott near the 
river 2 or 3 days then we
went back to Nicolas-
-ville 8 miles pitched
tents and stayed until
a little after midnight
when the bugle blew to
strike tents it was rain-
-ing quite fast but that
made no difference to
old [illegible] about 3 oclock
[crossed out] [th] we started back to
where we started from
the morning before.
then the reg left the
teams and crossed the
river about 6 miles to
camp Dick Robinson
and started until about
3 oclock dat before yesterday
morning (the teams came
up in the night) then
 they stoped for Lancaster
and camped until yester
-day morning we struck
tents and went about 3
miles toward the river
(Dicks river) got dinner
and was ordered back
came back and the Reg
have gone any toward
Somersett through crabore
-hard. they left the team
                                        t 
here. We heard last nigh^
that they had got the
rebs surrounded. and
today the story is that
[crossed out] [no] our men have taken
1800 prisoners. but that
is most to good to believe
how long we shal stay
here or how long the boys
will be gone is more
than I can tell.
you wanted to know
what we had to eat well
I will tell you. we have
hard bread most of the 
time good salt
pork coffee good sugar
rice homony beans vinegar
& molasses I believe that
is all in the eating line
then we draw soap &
candles besides.
I have got a secesh knife
that I wish you had.
I do not understand
what you mean [crossed out] [by] about
stiching my gun through
the fence and running for
the Rebs. I do not know
of any time that I have
run only that time at
snows pond then we
were green hands at the
business but I think I 
should know better now.
Those chills you want to break
up as soon as possible and
keep up good courage hope
every day that you will
be better the next. for the
blues is a worse disease than
the ague. Chear up and hope
for the best. but I have got
the second sheet about full
with a good afternoon I will
will wind up write soon and oblige your

[Written sideways on right side of Page]
Brother James