Murfrees Boro Tennesee
March 19th 1863
Dear child I send you afew
lines to let you no that
I am well at preasant and
far down in tennesea I hope
theas few lines ma find you
in good health the last
I heard from you you had
the headache for several
days I was very Sorry to here
you was not well. we left
camp Woodson ville Ky last
monday we landed here the
next day we went on the
cars all the way. we are some
thirty miles beyond the
comberlon river. it is very
warm down here in day
time cool at knight there is
great stur here now
[page 2]
we travled over the old
battle ground it looks horod
dead horses evry whare I saw
meany places whare twenty
or thirty horses had fell at
one volly. they lay thick as
stumps in new ground.
acres of ground coverd with
graves. hole towns burnt and
evry thing layed wast. men
are building forts here fast
as they can evry thing in
one stur. there is nothing
to be seen but men and teams
far as your eys can cary the
army here now covers about
twenty miles square there is
forty thousand more to come
in this weak. I here nothing
but horns and fifes and drums
conest rore from before
day light till way in the
night then the dogs begin
barking and fighten till morning
[page 3]
there is over two hundred
canon down here now and
more comin evry day. there
is to be something going here
soon there must be great
distruction whare two armies
of two hundred thousand on
each side. thousands must
be miserable mangled. no one
noes ho it is to be
there is linon tents far as
you can see wagons runen
all the time one constant
String in evry direction they cut
= ing down all the timber here
in reach so the canon can halve
full power at them. the dead
horses stink so we cant hardley
stand it. I can stand at our
tents and see hundreds of them
laying over ground. they never
move them. they lay whare they
fall that is the way things go
down here
[page 4]
Mary Elen I cant till you
mutch about things yet awhile
I will wright to you after
little again and tell you
all about things
Mary Elen I wont you to
be a good Girl and mind
what is told you Eliza will
do her duty and you must
do yours. this leaves me
well give my respects to
all Fare well Mary Elen
from your father remember
me I will you

I am in the land of cotton
Sinomen seeds and Sandy bottom

direct to Eleazor J. Gorham
Murfrees boro
Tennesee
in care of leutenant Doughman
first ohio Sharp Shooters