[Written sideways on top of Scan 1]

I suppos you will
be a teaching befor
you get this I hope you
will enjoy yourself
just keep me posted
as to what is going
on in town
I thinks likely you
will not hear from
me very often for
the next six months
but I will write 
when I have an 
opportunity
Jokes go free in
camp and thare is
some cuttings ones
but no matter they
dont kill

		O.E.G

	Sauterday evening April 30th
In camp 20 mils from Columbia
Dear Lucy
	       we left camp this
morning to go some whare I
shall find out perhaps whare
in a few days the whole
of the 2d Cavalry Division is
on the move our Brigade in
the advance which is composed
of the 4th regulars .. 7th Penn..
and our regiment the same
as last summer we calculate
to go whare we are a mind to.
for we are well armed with the Spencer Carbine
I am writing this siting on a big Rock
with my paper on my knee. right
in the thick woods

Sunday May 1st
it is now after noon and
thare is a prospect of our
not leving this camp untill
tomorrow the train had bad
luck yesterday and has not
all come up yet although
it is now after noon
we ought to rest to day as
it is sunday but soldiers dont
have much sunday and not
          them
half of ^ care when sunday comes
if I knew whare we ware a going
I wold let you know. all
I know is that we have started for
some place I guess it is agoing
to be a quite a long march
so we have thirty days rations
on the waggons we ware orderd
to turn over all extra baggage
              left camp
before we ^ so we only carry eather
a blanket or an over coat a peice
besides our horsse blanket and oil

blankets & a half of a pup
tent it is almost two months
earlier than we left camp last year
but the weather is warm and I
rather be on the march than in
camp it raind yesterday and last
night but is pleasant to day
I have received but one letter from
you since I got back this is the
third one I have writen to you
thee mail come in last night but
no mail for me. wall I wish
I could see you a little
while this evening I would be
more satefactory than writing with
this pencil I suppose I cant
and so I will write a little
more and stop I suppose I
shall get some more mail
some time this fall but not
much before for I dont think we
are agoing to be whare our mail
can get to us I suppose I
can mail this at shelbyvill when we go
through thare we come through
Middleton yesterday we had a fight
thare a little more than a year
ago thare was plenty of Rebs thare
then but none now
three more of our boys started
home on furlough thee 28th
Tip Davis was one of them the
others you ware not acquainted
with they felt well when they started
away better than they will when theire
furloughs are out. [I?] dident I hate
to come back but I knew what
I was coming to it seams as though
I had been back longer than
I have      I eat that cake
of sugar that Hat.. gave me
while on the cars betwen Louisville
and Nashville tell her I thougt
whare it came from & that made
it taste better. I wold like
to hear from you often you had
better believe that
			Othniel

	(you will do well if you can
read this and better if you can make
sense of it)