May 19th. 1863 
Camp. Austin Blair 
Nashville Tenn 
Friend William today finds me 
as well as usual finley alittle 
better than usual I am getting 
as tuff as a bear and hope these 
few linds may find you and 
yours injoying the same blessing 
the boys is all in purty good 
health and good spirits we are havi 
ng lots of fun on piquet we have 
all the milk we want we have 
got lots of cows we can milk Albe 
rt and I milked three last knight 
and the rebs dont like the 18 mutch 
they think wee are hard [illegible] and 
I think so two but it cant be 
helped the rebellion must be 
crushed James is well and on camp 
gard today I am sorry to say that 
he has been redused to the rank, 
and for what wee know not what for
but I gess it was because he could 
not put stile anuff on to plees 
the Captain A Carver is gaining 
he is on duty to day Luther is well 
Ralph is on the gain he is in 
Indiana in aconverlesant Camp 
at Newalbany What dos the folke 
think there about the war 
closing by this time it look rather 
dark at presant I think wee will 
hafto stay our three years the 
report of Richmand being taken 
is falce wee cant place any depend 
ance in [crossed out word] the papers any more 
they contradict them selves so  
mutch the rebs is within eight  
miles of here with alarge force 
wee dont know whether they 
calculate to atacked us or not 
but wee think they are trying 
to get in Ky if wee can succeed 
in keeping them out of their 
this summer theye are soon whiped
 it is purty warm weather 
      here now and cool knight 
wee are situated in quite a 
pleasant place Near the village 
of Nashville but dont know how 
long wee shall stay here the 
talk is that wee have gotto go 
out in front then probaly 
wee shall see some fun[crossed out] [n] if 
soldering is fun the main poin 
t is to keep up good courage 
and the onley way I find to do 
that is to place confidence in 
the Saviour he is able to 
make the rough smooth and 
the crooked strait but I find 
it a dificalt task to live 
as it is becoming a christian 
here in the army but God 
being my helper I am determi 
ned to try to live in that 
way when I shall be called from 
the shore of time that I may have 
        a home in Heaven
I haint hurd from 
Write for some time 
I gess the folks has forgot 
[crossed out] [how] to write to me I would  
like to hear from you and 
all the rest of the folke their 
tell Barey to write to me and 
I will try to ansure the letters 
I tell uncle John and Aunt 
Jene I haint forgat them yet 
and would like to hear from 
them my famly was well 
the last I hurd from them 
have you many copper heads 
there in  Write I suppose they 
dont feel mutch like fiting 
I shall hafto close for this time 
pleas write as [crossed out word] soon as you 
get this Direct to Co D 18th 
Mich Infantry Nashville 
Tennessee from 
     P.J. Conklin to 
     Friend William 
 
Good buy