[Written upside down on top of Scan 1]

you will find this in a reble
envelope taken at McMinnville the
time we took that pace Write all the [news?]

[Written sideways on the left-hand side of Scan 1]

write often
wont you
write often
    O.E.G

	Head Quarters ("A") Co..
	Camp Park nere Murfreesboro Tenn..
			May 20th /63

Dear Lucy
	     I received Your letter
of the 17th & thought I would write
you a few lines for I have not
much else to do this morning
it is one of the pleasenter
mornings you ever saw & we
have had nothing but nice
weather lately this country
beats Mich.. all to nothing I
should never want to come back
     want
if it ^ for one or two things
maybe you can guess what they
are. the news from the Potomac
did not prove quite as good
as first reported all the difference
thare was over forces got babley
whipped instead of the Rebles

Some seam to think that Hooker
has not lost much by the move
I cant see it so I think  the
loss of ten thousand men & the
demoralization of the whole army
amounts to somthing
from what I have seen in the
papers I should think thare
was a goodeal more excitement
up north than thare was here 
over that news it was not generaly
beleived here after it had been
confurmed 3 or 4 times & I guess
we war not so much disappointed
as
^ you ware & I presume not as
much interested thare is a good
many made up their minds that
we have yet to stick our three
years out & I for one am going to
make the best of it I can
we are new having the best times
in camp that we have ever
had thare is a good many of our


    boys coming in from the Hospital
& if it keeps getting better
I dont no as I shall want
to come back very soon
I went over to the hospital
yesterday & see the scick Boys
Gust has got well I should
think and they are all getting
	          n
better fast Fra^k is getting tough
& seems to enjoy himself first rate
he sends his best respects to you
he see me writing & wanted to know
if I was writing Home I told him
I was writing that way
You need not call me Corporal
any longer        our band has
got new silver instruments they make
muscic worth hearing we have
dress [paraid?] every night at six 
o'clock come down some evening &
see us preforme we have got so that
we do things up about right
will you come I wish you would
if you will I guess I can get excused from duty

the prospect dont look very encouraging
for us making a forward movement
when we are out on picket we
are in sight of the rebles
but they dont seem to be inclined
to attackt us if you could see
the fortifications at murfreesboro
You would not think we
ware in much danger
we are camped [illegible in original] about tow
miles in front of the
fortfications the infantry being
inside of our lines
I dont know what is the
mater with Jim Delaforce
he acts mighty strange lately
his health is first rate
I hope our folks will not
read my letters to visitors for
I dont think they would
be very interesting I hope you
destroy what you receive from
me I cant carry all I get &
dont try
		        a
tell Hatty the rose le^ves came
all right tell her She must
behave her self & no trouble
you
^ if she dont I will see to it myself
Sometime		Yours Truly Othniel