Camp near Decature Ga..
		July 26th 1864
   Dear Lucy
	            I take my
pecil to write you a few
lines as the mail is agoing
out this morning the first time
in ten days I have had no
time to write lately for we
are on the go evey day
last week we made two
raids on the rail road
one we went to stone Mountain
whare we burnt the Bridges
and ties for about six miles

we charged into town whare
the rebeles met us and
drove us back double quick
but we burnt the depot
and done other damage not
easy for the to repare
on the 21st we ware order to
Decature we got thare just before
night had orders to be ready
to
^ move in two hours & leve all
extra baggage behind the
we left about darck moving
South East right through country
that is heald by reble forces
we halted at daylights the
next morning to rest a couple
hours (for I tell you we ware
tired) we lay down and slept
sound until time to start 
again when we heard that
we ware orderd to Covington
to burn the Bridges and
miltarry stores thare about noon


we got within 3 miles of the
village the first Battalion was
orderd to charge in to the
town (thare is four companys in
a Battalion) Company "A"G"D"I"
are in the fist) thare was but
a small force and they soon
run killing one of our men
& wounded two we run them
out about four miles and
left them come back and
staid in town about four
hours and tore up things
in C general thare was a
hospital with three hundred
wound Rebs.. in of cours we
did not harm them the hospital
was clean and nice as any
you will see in the north
our Boys went to the Stores
and got tobbaco sugar [Candies?]
and wine & everthing else
and gave to them they though
we ware a merry set of
Yanks I cant begin to tell
you what we did not do
enough to say we acted
bad [enough?] we loaded our
selves with tobbaco sugar and
anythin we wanted and left
about [drak?] having set the
depot & Goverment store houses on fire
and they ware stored full of cotton
with a large lot of amunition
we run away by the light
of the fire, we ware gone
four days rode about [150?]
miles captured about 600
horses and mules burnt three
raild road Bridges on the
main road betwen Atlanta
and Richmond fetched in
a lot of negroes but they 
dont amout to much In my
eye I have no more time
     to write nor so [goodby?]
		Othniel