We have started on our great march over the mountains and have marched 2 days since one day was the hardest day I ever marched it was so intinely it was almost suffacating there was several men droped down in the road just as though they were dead and layed so for hours Harvy was almost as bad off as any of them Metts & I came very near being we fell out and it was the first time I ever fell but I had to cave we layed side of the road untill it got cooler then we started on it was all foolishness We are all well now and do not feel any thing of it the sweat run off from me in streams almost

it is very warm here more so then it is up in O I tell you what it is it is hard to see men drop down in the road from heat but they fell thick around me There was 2 Brigades of us on the march and they got to raceing a little in our Brigade We are on the road for Summerset [sp. Somerset] again we are about 25 miles from Danville I have seen Maj..Gen..Burnside he was in Danville as one brigade passed through we had to come down to a shoulder arms and the old fellow stood there with his hat off in the sun he is a very common looking fellow he does not put on the style that a good many of the Gens do I believe he is going through with us It is Gen Haskel that commands our division he is a smart looking fellow

The boys in camp are all well I do not think we shall go through into Tenn and I am glad of if The report is that old Rosy [i.e., General William S. Rosecrans] has defeated Bragg and taken some says 4000 others, 12 and that 3 States have come back and I do not know what all I expect though that there is some truth in it If that is so we never shall go through into Tenn Well I must close good by write soon and all of the news

H E Randall