Dear Father And Mother

I thought I would answer your kind letter of the 22 of last month..
     I was very glad to here that you are all well. I hope that this will find you as well as I am at this time. We have had a very hard time for some time back. Company .K. has lost as many men this last trip as we lost all the time before. Joseph Purnell [i.e., Pvt. Joseph Purnell, Company K, 84th Illinois Infantry] is dead Pollock [i.e., Pvt. James B. Pollock, Company K, 84th Illinois Infantry] had to have his leg taken off. George Beaty [i.e., Pvt. George W. Beaty, Company K, 84th Illinois Infantry] is gitting a long fine he come up this morning it is a bad looking place it will be some time before it

.2. I did not commence right

is well. while we stay in camp he is as well off here as if he was at the hospital they use wounded men awful from what the boys say that has bin wounded.
     Their is quite a lot of the boys sick now. their was a.11.reported not fit for duty this morning their is only .39. men in the company that includes all but the Cap and Lieut their is. Stockton [i.e., Pvt. William H. Stockton, Company K, 84th Illinois Infantry] Brimhall [i.e., Pvt. Henry Brimhall, Company K, 84th Illinois Infantry] Wood [i.e., Pvt. Richard Woods, Co. K, 84th Illinois Infantry] Sapington [i.e., Pvt. John Sapington, Company K, 84th Illinois Infantry] and two more. that you do not know. that cannot see of nights Wm. I Beaty is sick not very bad.
     I think they aught to send us to the rear their is only 250 men in the regiment. at first we had .981. we have lost lots of men near a .100 on this campaign. I

.3.

hope we will stop for a while and recruit up some.
     I do not think the rebs followed us further than Jonesboro that is .21. miles below here I think they was a bout as glad to stop as we ware. Some think we will not say here long I donot see how we can start on an other campaign very soon we aught to have a long rest I think..I saw the .85.cars and .4.locomotives that the rebs burned the most of them was loded with ammunition the shells was slung all a round thick we herd it and we was .2/8. miles off we thought they was having a big fight up here. they tryed to git it away but we had cut the road they run it up on the decature road and set it on fire. they thought we had crossed the chattahoochee and they all got drunk and had a good time.

old Hood [i.e., Gen. John Bell Hood] had a salvo fired and they brought women in from the country and had a big dance their was some come up on the cars and when we cut the road they could not git back so they are here yet Shurman [i.e., Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman] has ordered all that will not take the oath out of our lines their is a great many that will take the oath. Milking in the rain is nothing to soldiering when you git dun milking you can go in out of the rain and we have to take it all the time we can stand it if any boddy can it is only one more year and then we will eat up your good things as fast as you can cook them if you have nothing but corn bread it will be better than the folks live on down here for they do not know how to make it right they mix it up with water and no salt when it is baked you could nock a man down with a chunk of it and never crack it.