[Written upside down on right-hand top of Scan 1]

dont be in any way
concerned about me
if you dont hear
from me very
soon I will
write
when I can

[Written upside down on left-hand top of Scan 1]

dont be afraid
of writing me
long letters
I have time
to read 
them

[Written on the left-hand of Scan 1]

it is rumord in
camp that we
are orderd to Huntsville
Ala.. I hope it is so

	Head Quarters,
Com. A, Fourth Reg. Michigan Vol. Cav.
				          July 8th
       Camp, on the Bank of Elk River, 1863
    Dear Lucy
	           I received your letter
of the 25th a few days since should of answe-
red right of if I had had a chance to
we are camped about ten miles from
Tulahoma we left camp at Murfreesboro
on the 24th and have been on the go
ever since we are wating now for the
water in the River to go down so that
the waggon train can cross which we are
guarding thare is good news in camp
this morning from Vicksburg and all
of the Batteries are orderd to fire a
salute of 25 guns if half the news
is true that we have heard this morning

it will do for one day. old Bragg
and his army all run and hard-
-ly showed fight at all I presume
you have seen an account of the
charge our Brigade [at?] Shelbyville
we have heard that our regiment
dont get much credit for it
thare aint any of us want any more
than what is due us the Rebles had
brest works thrown up 4 or 5 miles 
is extent our regiment ware orderd
to turn their left flank while the
7th Penn.. & 4th reuglars took the right
& center they ware not to charge on
to the breast work untill they heard
us coming in on the left we ware
guided by a Union man who we
        how
knew ^ their lines run when we got
in the right place our company
ware orderd to charge right into the
Brest work and such a shout as


went up aint heard very often
the rebles undertook to make a stand
but it was no use lots of them
threw down their arms before they
had fired them of they said they
ware wating for us to fire and when
we Stoped to load ware agoing to chare
ge on us we have the revolving Rifle and
thare was no need of stoping every one
filling on his own [hook?] when we
got threw we ware miles apart
and did not all get to gatther
untill long in the nigh thare was
more than five to Rebs to one of us
but we scared them so they did not
no what they ware about our loss
was light we took about 700 hundred
prissoner this was a cavalry fight no
intfantry on ether side the Boys call
it fun to make such charges &
I dont dislike it very much

Frank sends his best respects to you
and says we are coming home before long
if the news is true that we get this [illegible in original]-
ing the prospect looks brighter than it has
before the quicker it closes the better it
will suit me.          we have had
a very wet time since we started
out it has raind most every day
and night since we lift camp
the weather is warm and would
be very plesent if it did not
rain quite so much that picture
you sent was all right a very
good one if I am a judge I would
send you mine if I could get it
taken dont know when I shal have
a chance I hope that draft will
come of in time I beleive if we
had had 100,000 thousand men six
months ago the ware would have
been closed now Gov.. Blair was
hear to see us the other day he made
a speach to us he seamed to think the
4th Cavalry about as good as any of
them I wrote a letter ot our folks the other day
have had no chance to send it yet dont no when
you will get this but hope some time Yours Truly  Othniel