[Written sideways on top of Scan 1]

Dec 18th    some of our
Boys come in from
Nashville last night
they say that Gus..
was a goodeal worse
when they left eight
days before and
not much prospect
of his getting well
Robert Reynolds is
thare with him his
folks live near whare
you taught School
last winter I hope 
you have heard from
him since I have
and heard better news
it seams hard for so
good a boy as he was too
die in such a place
the Boys seam to think

[Written upside down on top of Scan 1]

thare was not much chancet for him to get well

[Written on left-hand side of Scan 1]

the last letter I wrote
to you was the 11th of
this month
the last one I received
from you was writen Dec.. 1st

     Camp Stepandtouchit
	nere Huntsville "Ala.. Dec 13 /63

     Dear Lucy
	            again I take my
pen to write you a few lines
I have just moved into our
new house it is eleve feet long
& Seven wide covered with our
dog tents with a fireplace
& chimney in on end and
two bunks for four of us in
the other it makes the most
comfertable place we have ever
had & I think we shall stay
this winter thare is only a part
of our regiment here the rest

have been on a scout out in
front of Chattanooga & have not
come in yet they had some
great times & I should of liked
to of been with them they captured
one of Braggs Couriers going to Longstreet
for reinforcements & one going from
Longstreets to Braggs that let them
know what was going on within
the Rebles lines for they ware
within two miles of Braggs headquarters
they went into to Camp and our
Boys ware put on picket they
had no fed for their horses &
had not had any for three day
in a little while they heard
wagons coming up the road & 
knew very well they ware rebles for
they had no wagons with them thay
kept still & let them drive
inside our pickets thare was 19 
wagons loaded with corn it was
just what they wanted so after they

all got in our boys told the teamsters
they ware prisoners they said they
guessed not for it was dark and
			     cloths
they could not see the blue ^ they
        (a southern phrais)
said weans all belong to yours the
boys let them go on towards camp
and told them that Braggs had
drove all the Yankees out of Chatanooga
they hurrahd for this news good
but soon found out their mistake
when they come into camp and 
found the Yanks (as they call us)
ready to feed their corn and as
quick as a waggon was unloaded
set on fire they burnt all of
this train & the same night
captured 60 wagons more loaded
with flour Bacon and corn meal
& tobacco they Burnt all of
it and come within our lines
all right this was a playing
their game of burning trains and
it suited the Boys first rate

thare is some fun in Soldiering
like this but when we have to
go twenty one days on six days 
half rations and have to make out
the rest of the time on sweet potatoes
& what we could forge as we
did on the last scout After
wheeler just before I went to
Nashville that aint so much fun
if it is I cant see it
but thare is no use of complaining
you asked what kind of a country
this is down here wall it is the
nicest kind Huntsville is a nice
place not quite as large as Ann
Arbor the country about it is first
rate before the war thare was some
of the largest king cotton plantations
this year the Rebles had planted it
to corn and it come just right
for us our army could not stay
here if the corn was not here
you wanted to know if we had
crossed to Cumbeland mountains we
have a number of times not a very
good road rather for we have to
dismount and lead our horses and draw the
artilry up by hand (the Intfantry done this part)

[Penciled in on top of Scan 5 [1863, Dec. 13] ]

I will finish up on this page
you wanted to know the reason
you did not see anything from
the 4th Mich.. in the papers I can
tell you we have been in a Brigade
with 4 other regiments since we f
left Murfreesboro last June and
anything that any of these regiments
do is credited to the 1st Brigade
2d Division 14th Arm Corps the regi..
are the 7th Penn.. 3d Ind.. 5th Iowa &
4th reuglar Cavalry and our regiment
we have sein just as hard
service as any of them and I
guess as hard as any in this
war our thined ranks show hard
useage and what thare is left
are tough heads once in the while
a decent looking fellow amongst them 
hard company makes hard men
(I cant quite finish on this page)

we have some fine specimins of the
Fair Sex I was riding along
one day a little be hind the
Colum when I met a lady on
				way
horse Back a (very fashionable ^ of riding)
in this part of the world) I touched
my hat as polite as I could to
her and what do you think
she said why. she asked me
for a chew of tobaco I was
sorry I had none but this
perhaps was one of the lower class
thare is more of that class than
any other
we are about one hundred & twenty five
miles south of Nashvill and about
the same distance from Alanta
Ga.. you spoke of some members
being excluded from the Church who
ware they I have writen all the
news I can think of Give my
best respects to your folks if they
take the trouble to enquire after me  Truly Yours
				                  Othniel