Franklin May 16th 1863

My Dear Parents

I received your kind latter
today and you cant imagin how pleased I was to
here from you to here that you wer still in good
helth as usual. I am well as ever and hope this
latter will find you all the same. we had our
company inspection to day Gen Gilbert is inspecting
all of our brigade we was inspected this morning
the inspecter gave our company a very high prase
he said they was the best skermishers that he
ever saw drill. and we got the prase of our guns
he said they was kept nise well we haf had to work
to keep them so for they are brite guns when they are
kept cleen but they are a hard gun to keep cleen if they
wer burnished black they would be easer to keep cleen
they would not rust so bad. they are good guns to
shoot they are the Springfield rifel we usto goo out
target shooting 2 or 3 weeks ago with them and we had
a chance to try them our boys are most all good
shots with them they made some clost shooting their
was hardly a shot made but what would haf killed a
man if it had been one our company took the prase for
shooting from any in the Regt. our company is not
[page 2]
as large as it was when we left Camp Cleveland there
is a great many in the Hospitals O. Austin is the only
one of the Dover boys that is in the Hospital. I have not
herd from him in along time all the rest of the Dover
boys are well and I hope they will stay so. yesterday
after noon I was cleening up for inspection as bussey
as could be and one of the boys came down from
the Quartermasters and told me that there was a box
up their for me you may bet I dident stop long befor
I was up their and got it it was just the thing that made
me pleased Bill & I have got paper a nough now to last
us a long time it is nise paper to Gilbert & Sam was pleased
with theirs and to have a tast of the good things that was
in it besides was bully that dried beef was and so was
the chees and cakes that bottle of medison is a good
thing for us for the most that brings the boys down
sick is the dierea running on them so long I haf been
pretty lucky since I haf been here they never haf trubl
-ed me. I haf taken tood care of that and them cloves and
the paper the rest will soon go but it goes good while it
lasts. I think that box came through quick quicker than
I expcted when you write you tell me what it cost you
Bill and I are going to send our over coats home by express
two of the Strongville boys sent theirs home and it
only cost them a doller I would rather pay a dollar
to send them home than to throw them away they are
good coats yet they are a little durty but that can be cleaned
[page 3]
we can get a small box and put them in when you
write let me know where to send them so you can get
them. I am glad to here that you have got that
money I thaught one spel that it would be some trubel to
get it but the express company was good for it I suppose
for it was stolen in their posesion we have been mus
tered for pay agane but we cant tell when we will be
payed. Major C. Gates is here now he came here day before
yesterday with some new recrutes for one regt he will
go home be fore many days he gets his free pass over the
roads and he has a chance to see his boys while he
is here and that is somthing of an object to him.
the wather is very warm here now and every thing
looks nise the corn and potatoes and most every thing
else looks nise where there is any but there is not much
planted around here only in gardens but get out
3 or 4 miles there is some planted I suppose you have
not planted any thing yet have you but I suppose
your oats are up by this time. I suppose help is rather
scars to find now their is so many gon to war. but if we
have good success for a month or two longer I think
we will be home let old Hooker keep to work at them
a while longer and he will use them up he has done
well down to Richmond by all acounts I hope that is
true about Richmond being taking if it is so the
war will end so much quicker the rebels haf not
trubeld us here much yet they keep their distance
[page 4]
I guess they are afrade to atact us for these big
gunns look rather [pokish?] the timber is all cut
down for about a mild and a half around here
but a few scatering trees so that we can have a
good chance at them if they atact us I suppose
Ellen will be living in her dwelling by the time
this reaches you I should like to be their whe she gets in
her house to see how she would get along but she is usto it
by experianc befor I was pretty lucky to get two new brothers
so quick I got a latter from Vet yesterday and he called
me brother I had not thought of it before it sounded
rather quear to me but it is all right and no mistake
Vet is a good fallow and so is Ase I like them both
very well Vet told me about old Clemans shooting
him self I think he must haf been crasy or he would
not have done it but he has been about “ “ for a long
while. their was two fallows shot at Nashville yesterday
so a lieut told me he said he see them shot. they was
shot for deserting it must haf been a hard sight to
see but it is not cunsiderd a very bad sight to see a
ded rebel laying on the ground.. you must tell me how
the Copperheads are feeling about that old Copperhead
that they took a Dayton he is fixed for a while as long
as the war lasts [probely?] you must have a good time going to those
metings to here old potter talk I should like to here him talk on
a [???] it is a good thing for that rode a long their to have them
meetings to the houses they may get old Bill Jenkins and some of them
others up that way you spoke about the A[??] being there I suppose that
the taxes will be higher this year than they was last year but I
hope not I suppose your wheet looks nise dose it not I hope I may
be home to help you by harvest if not before I dont think I have forgot how
to work yet if I haf been soldgering it dont make much difarenc with me
where I am since we haf been here we haf been at work so many
hours in a day we dont work over 4 hours any day and that only
keeps us in good helth it is time to close for this time give my
love to all enquring freinds and I send my lov to you all a thous
and times over this is from your son Andy Rose
(write soon) (I haf not received that latter
with the cake in yet)