[Penciled in on top of Scan 1 [1862] ]

	Camp Rosecran nere Nashville TN
Dear Lucy
	      I take my pen in
hand to reply to yours of the first
which I received on the fith glad
to here that you ware well sorry to
here that you did not expect to enjoy
your self very well this winter you had
better try & enjoy you self and make
the time pass as pleasent as you can
I think if I could be back home
this winter I could enjoy myself dont
beleive I should have the blues a great
deal & maybe you would not I am
				  along
glad to here that you are getting ^ well
		o
with your scho^ll hope you will continue
	   reckon
to do so I ^ you have some [couris?] subjects
to deal with,
we ware a little supprised night bfore
last by uncle Othniel poking his head
ito our tent & enquiring for Ott
				    over

stuff for his eyes stuck out as the
good things disappered from befor us
but we had to stop after while for
he had a larger supply of good things than
we had room for we stayed withe him
tell about sundown and then started for
camp he could not get the cars till
           morning	camp
the next ^ we arived in ^ all right and
				             r
found marching orders we wass to ma^ch
that night at 12 oclock twelve o'clock come
and with it come another order to bee 
ready to start at five minuets notice
but it is now noon and we have
not gone yet thare is a great movement
with troops and the prospect is that
we sha'nt stay here long the Rebles
are making a stand about 30 miles
from hear and thare will be a battle
if they dont run our Colnel has
been promoted to Brigadere General and
Lient Colonel Dickerson has comand of
the regiment now what thare is left
we have not much more than 300 [illegible in original]
men fit for duty the rest are in the Hospital


we have had but one man Die
Since we left Detroit that I know of
that was
^Quarter Master Sergent John F. Miller
Miletus Brooks & David wardle went
to the Hospital yesterday morning
Miletus had a very bad cold and thought
he had better go thare for a few days
as it was a poor place to Doctor here
I think he will be back again in a
few days if he has good care I hated
to have him go thare but he could not
have very good care here and I gues
it was best he should go James Deleforce
& Augustus are well and are getting along
first rate Gus is about as noisey as
ever (and is gitting So fat that he cant
button his vest around him) I am
well and enjoy myself pretty well most
of the time I dont feell quite as
patricotis as I did when I left home
If I ware at home now I would not
encourage one single man to enlist or give
one cent for the support of this ware if
i had as much money as I could wink at
officers fare very well but a privet aint
of no conciquence not even as much
as a niger niger fares the best and I
guess is a going to for sometime to come
but I have Said enough about that
you Said the folks had been getting some things to
Sent throug to us at this time them mitens you spoke
				   time
of could come about right at this ^ but I dont think
they could be sent now. it is all fudge about
we not having enough to eat and them that complain
you may calculate did not have enough when they were at home
O E Gooding

[Written on right hand side of Scan 4]

Give my best respects to all who enquire for me and dont forget to write

[Written upside down on top of Scan 4]

often and let me know all bout how you get
along and what is going on in town,