Camp nere Pulaski Tenn
		December 29th /63
Schoolmam
	         once more I take
my pen to write you a few lines
the last I wrote to you was
from Huntsville Ala Dec 22d the
last I received from you was
the 21st we left Huntsville the
24th marched about 20 miles and
camped six miles from Athens
Christmas Eve..Camped in the
edge of a peice of woods and
had Bacon & Hard Brad for supper
the Boys all felt well and

that made up for what we
did not have to eat James
Delaforce come in from Chattanooga
tonight reports things all right
in that quarter our Boys
are doing Courier duty Between
Chattanooga & Charleston
the 25th Christmas we are marching
along towards Pulaski thinking of
the good things that will be
eaten at home & wishing we 
ware thare we march about
ten miles and camp for the
night on the Bank of Elk
River one of the Boys made
a raise of a good ham some
how they call it forgeing
here I will tell you how they
do it three or four of them will
ride into a mans yard and
ask if he has any meat he
will say no. of course they wont
dont beleive him and so they go

& look some time they find
the Smoke house full somtime
they find it in barells ceverd
with ashes, shure to find it
if it is to be found they
take what they want get on
to their horses and gallop of
to Camp we have Strict orders
against such work now but
the Boys will have something
to eat if it is to be found
we are here in camp now
but shat be here long I
dont no whare we are a
going thare is a rumore that 
we are fixing for a raid some
whare our officers dont no our
destination yet it dont make
much odds to me whare we
go I just as lives be a raiding
as [amohare?] else one year ago
to day the Battle of Stone River
was raging the year has passed

quick to me but what a year
it has been more than 20 time
have I been whare the buletts
flew thick and fast Intfantry
cant say they are underfire quite
as often as that  , but I wont 
Bragg I must stop writing
		       Othniel

PS the 7th Penn.. Cavalry have been
with us ever since we come out
most the whole of the Regiment
have enlisted in the Vetran Corps
within the last few days and
are agoing home on furlough
their time would of been out in
April they get about five hundred
Dollars a peice. Thare is a good many
in our regiment would do the same
if they could but we have not been
in quite long enough yet I dont
know but I would enlist the furlough
is some temtation an so is the
money what do you think about it.
we are having warm nice weather
hear now have not seen any snow yet
			O.E.G.