Dear Father and Mother

I thought I would write a few lines in answer to your two letters I got since we have bin on the march. one was dated the .2. of last month the other the..15..I was very glad to here from you it had bin a long time that I got no letters a tal from any boddy. I got .5. at one time. I am well and I hope this will find you the same. we have bin having a hard time since the {28} of last month we started a little after dark and marched all night and in the morning we started a gain and marched all day we got to sleap that night. the next day we got in sight of the railroad that

runs west from eastpoint. we toar up that road and went on and the next day we got on the Macon road and we toar it up for a bout 7 miles and then had a skirmish in the evening. the .14.corps charged the rebs and took their works and them to they took .500. out of one line of works their was only one corps of rebs their and we was almost around them. we would have had to charged but dark come before we got fixed and they left that night. their was .14.pieces of artilery taken and 2800 prisoners taken. the fight was at a little place by the name of Jonesborrow [sp. Jonesboro]. We are now a bout 4 miles south of it we mad a charge here and lost the most out of company K we ever have at one time on this campaign our lieutennant [i.e., 1st Lt. William M. Galbraith, Co. K, 84th Illinois Infantry] and George Beaty [i.e., Pvt. George W. Beaty, Company K, 84th Illinois Infantry]

Old man Pollock [i.e., Pvt. James B. Pollock, Company K, 84th Illinois Infantry] .Jo. Purnell [i.e., Pvt. Joseph T. Purnell, Company K, 84th Illinois Infantry] I believe that is all that was hurt I dont think Purnell will ever git well the ball went in at his coller boan it didnot come through. George Beaty was shot in the face the ball went in close to his mouth Just below the cheek boan and lodged it will leave a scar that will always show Pollock was shot through the cuff of the leg it broke the small boan they took out some of the boan he will never be fit for the servis any more. it was an awful hot place we had to charge near a mile and it was as bad ground as the pasture and you can have an idy how it would be and all of us with big loads on I never was mutch nearer give out in my life their was a great many gave out. We

got up to the rebs skirmish pits and stopped the rebs begin to throw grape at us and we thought it would not pay to go any further we went to makeing marks as fast as we could so we could stand a charge if they should come for us but they thought it would not pay to come and we built works very near all night and un til noon the next day we got good works made and stayed their all day and at night the 9 Ind, [i.e., 9th Indiana Infantry] took our place and we come back to the rear whare we are now. Their was .80. killed and wounded out of the brigade. their was .8. wounded out of the .84.Ills. We are gitting to be a convalessent regiment their is .4. with the company now that cant see after night and no one knows how soon their will be more in that fix I dont want to git that way we have an awful time with them of a night when we march we have to lead them and it is hard on a fellow