Sunday morning 
      Columbia   Tenn  Sept 4th /64
Dear Lucy
	       I take my pen
this morning to pen a few of
my thoughts to you the last
  letter to you was writen the
24th since then I have got
my mail from the regiment
seven letters two of them from
you I should of writen a number
days ago but the rebs.. have
made a raid up in hear and
tore up. the Railroad both sides 
of us so that thare has been
no comunication for a number of days

the Rebl Gen Wheeler has been
around here and it was thought
that he would try & take this
place he found it to well
guarded last night reenforcements
come so the scare is all over
and to day thay have started
in pursuit of him the women
& childers ware all moved out
of town and they had orders
at the fort to burn the town
if the rebs come in some of
the new recruits in this camp
ware a goodeal scared for fear
they would be taken prisoners
it did not trouble me much
not so but what I slept as
well as ever I did not care
much if they did come in
I supose they would of paroled
    s
ho^pital subjects as for the town
I had as lives see that burn
as not for it is nothing but

secesh the best you can make
of it Tip Davis come up to see
me the other day I had not
seen him since before he went
home he is stationd six miles
from hear on the railroad
the other Boys from our way
I dont know much about
they are scatterd all over the
southern confedrecy.
if you can find much
that will interest you in 
this letter you will do well
I am able to be around &
take care of myself and that
is about all I dont gain
very fast I have bean in the
hospital a little over a month
it seams like a long time to
me hope I am agoing to get out soon
			Othniel
	Columbia Tenn Hospital No 2

    Sept 7th    no chance to send
a letter yet I guess thare will
be
^ before long as they are driving
the Rebs of further every day
I have no news to write this
morning       it is as pleasant
as any one could wish to see
it     you wanted to know
if thare was any good looking
Girls down here thare is some
that look well enough but
the most of them are so
awfuly stuck up that they
wont speak to a Blue coat
the negroes are having the best

times of any class in this country
it has been a play day to
them every since this war broke
out they call the Fedral
Soldier poor white trash it wont
do to hurt one of them for they
have more friends here than the 
soldiers have