Dear Father

I have received several letters from you since I have been in this place and have only written one in return but our napsacks was sent to us yesterday so I have got some paper and I will write one and make that answer all I received one beareing the date of Apr 17 and one 22 and another the 25 I guess I get most all that you write I expect we shall get payed off the 15th of this month Harlan has catched up with the Company he looks tolerable smart he sold my revolver for 12,00 the one I give 9,00 so I made enough on that he used 6,00 of it I shall send some more of it home when I I get the rest of it

It is raining this morning and it looks as though it would rain all day it is tough on the guards as good luck would have it I am not on guard I was on guard the other day and there came up a shower and the lightning struck a Chestnut tree about 7 rods from me and the telegraph run over my head and my gun in my hand and the tree stood nearrer the wire then it did me the tree was about 2 1/2 feet through and it split it all fine and the slivers flew all arround me and it shocked me a little but I got over it in a few hours I felt bad for a while but thank providence that I am as well as I am the boys are all well as far as I know and the health of the Regt never was better since I it left the state of Ohio. This is a very mountainous

Country and the citisens all say it is healthy here and they say they never have any fever or ague
I suppose it is as you say that we are bound for Tenn and I hope we shall be able to whip them and drive them in to the gulph of Mexico there is some talk of our being mounted before long and if we are look out for stirring times in Ky we shall run them if we get good horses I hope we shall get them it may be just a rumor but I hope not They had quite a scrape in camp at Mount Vernon the pickets begun to fire and the boys all fell out in line of battle and the Gen rode down to our Regt and said that he expected we should be the last in line but he rode over to the 104 and they was not out in

in line yet and he put them on 4 days Extra duty to drill with their napsacks on rather tough but they cannot come up with the 100 Regt nor none of the rest the Gen thinks more of the 100 then any other in the Brigaid what do you think of that I shall have to have some more stamps before a great while Well I must draw my letter to a close for I have done quite well so good by write soon and all of the news my love to all from your son in the army

H E Randall

to Z H Randall