On Picket, Mossey creek Tenn
March the 2nd 1864

Dear Cousin
I imbrace the
present opertunety of droping you
a few lines in answer to your kind
favor of the 6th Inst which came safe
to hand in due time, it found us all
well and injoying all the blessings
common to the soldier life
We are still well and harty
and I hope these few lines will
find you all injoying the same great blessing
Well Samuel we are out on picket
today near our old battleground
I thought last night when we came
out we would have a quite serious time
of it, It was then snowing about as
hard as you generaly see it, We came
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down as far as Gen Judiah’s [1] Head quarters
and got each a big snort of good old Burbon
which made us all rite on the goose
It snowed all day yesterday the snow
this morning was about six inches
deep but now it is going away very
fast I think by night there wont
be any of it left
I think if you have the same
kind of weather out there as we
have here you can make the coon
walk tomorrow coon is plenty here
but there fur is of no good we cought
two of them last January when
we were here all the good use we could
put them too was to eat them we had a
good feast out of them you may think
we were pretty hard up to eat them
but I tell you they were good eating
they tasted as good to me as rabbit
We have very good fare now we
draw full rations of every thing but
Beans Potatoes and rice we dont get any
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of these we get plenty of hardtack and
sow belley and sometimes get some
blue beef
Well Samuel I cant form any
Ideah how long we will stay here
when we came here I did not expect
to stay one day but now this is the
fifth day we have been here and there
is no sign of us leaving yet a
while although we may not stay longer
than till tomorow morning I tell you
the Soldiers life is a very unsertain one
the 10th Indiana was out a reconnoitering
they report no rebels this side of Bulls
Gap, That is about 30 miles from here
they say they have a large force there
and are well fortifyed I dont think
we will interfere with them there for
a while all we want is to play base with
them so as to keep them from reinforcing
other places, We have been playing base
with them in arnest for the last four
months weed advance for a while and
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then wed fall back and theyll [????]
and we will fall back we know all
the road between Knoxville and Morristown
well enough I believe we have traveled
every foot of it from four too six
times we have been out in Morristown three
times and back
we left Morristown last friday morning
I think that was the hardest march
we ever had for the length of it, the
wind blew so hard and the dust flew
so we could hardly see ten feet before
us I thought my eyes would go out but
as soon as I got to camp and got the
dirt washed out of them they were all
rite again
Well you speak of having good times
I would like very much to spend
a few days with you I think I could
injoy myself pretty well
well we have only 17 months more to serve
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And then I think we could get to live
like white people once more perhaps
you may think from this that I am
tired of soldiering well you may rest
asured if I were out of this that I would
not volinteer for a few days at least
but as I am into it I am willing
to stick it out for my three years or
during the war, but I am in hopes that
the during the war is not as long as the
three years, Gen Grant says that he can
see the end of the war. perhaps he can/
but I cant see it. But however I cant
think that it will last any longer than
next fall if every thing works rite Rich—
mond will be owers befor long and I think
that we can clean them out of Tennessee
almost any day we want too
We dont fall back so often because we
are afraid of them we fall back some—
times to keep them from running out of
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the state. We have news now that is inter
esting for as if it is true, they say that
Gen Garffield has ishewed an order that
five persent of the men in the field is to
have fuloughs and twenty persent out of
the Hospital at a time, but I dont think
it will come my time for a long time
for all the play offs will have to go first
that will let two go out of our camp
at a time, so you see that that will
be tolerable slow work
Well I will have to come to a close
Give my love and best respects to all
inquiring friends
Please write as soon as this comes
to hand
Yours Truly
H P Johnston
To S P Johnston