[Written sideways on top of Scan 1]

you better beleive I
had a good time a
reading them letters
it took all the time
I could get for
three or four days 
but it was time very
   [illegible in original]
pleasantly ^ to me
Frank is all right 
he got two letters
tonight one of them
from the right place
I guess, thare is not
much use of my trying
to describe our quarters
it is so nere like
home that I should
fail if I undertook
it. this is about full
and I must stop
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year
to you				Othniel

	
			        1863
     Huntsville Alabama Dec 21st
		   [Penciled in 63]


	        once more I take
my pen to write you a few
  lines not in answer to
anything that I have received
but I thought I would not
be very paticular about it
as it was you I am writing
to I wrote to you the 18th I 
thought then thare was a prospect
of us staying here all winter
but we have orders to break
Camp and move again I dont
			over

know whare we are a going Some
say one place and some another
I hope we shall start for
Richmond we had just got
first rate quarters fixed up
for winter but I guess we
shall have to scout all winter
as we did last I dont make
much odds to me time lapses
about as fast that way as
any we had a funeral in 
our regiment to day Lieut--
Ismand of "C" Co.. was buried to
day in Huntsville most of the
regiment attended and fired a
salute of three guns for his
grave our regi.. keeps droping
away one after another three of
our company have died lately
in the Hospital the death of a
soldier here dont seem to make
much of an impresion he dies
and good luck to him if he

gets decently buried no more
is thought of it by his Comerades
we see death in so many shapes
that it makes just no impresion
at all. goodluck to him that keeps
in good health but the one that
gets scick I pity thare is only 
a part of our regiment in now
the rest have not come in from
their Scout yet I have not seen
them in over two months. Delaforce
is with them it is now after
nine o'clock and one of the most
pleasent evenings you ever saw
(dont I wish I was in Mich..
a little while) the moon and
stars Shine bright and clear the
weather is warm thare will hardly
be any frost to night Christmas
& Newyears are close at hand I
hope you will spend them pleasantly
I'll bet I would try to if I
was at home. who knows but what I
				over

will be thare by the time another
year rolls around the prospect dont
look very promising now but I hope
for the best. thare may be such
a thing that we wont leve this
Camp but that is our orders now
it need not make any differance
		         me
about you writing to ^ keep a writing
I will get them some time
thar is some mighty nice Girls
here in Huntsville but they are
badly tinctured with sescech
principles one of them told us to
day that she hoped the Bushwhackers
would shoot us we asked her if
she was inernest she said she
was said she would shoot us if
she had a gun we laughe at
all such talk as that and get
just as many to talk so as we
can I like to see them get spunkey
the Bugle just sounded ordelys call
the mail has come and here is one
letter for me and that one from you
forwarded to me from Nashvill by a
Friend it was mailed at York Dec..
8th and says Gust.. has got Home
I am supprised to here that for I
supposed he was in Nashvill yet
I hope he will get well he deserves good care
for he was a good soldier. was he discharged.