In this letter to his cousin, Thad Roberts reports that the 148th has settled into a garrison situated in Nashville and that he is concerned because of an epidemic of smallpox that is spreading through the city and the soldiers stationed there. He attributes the spread of the disease to the proximity of the soldier's quarters to the Nashville Quarantine Hospital. He also tells of 22 men who were captured and sent to the prisoner of war camp at Andersonville, Georgia. He states that of the 22 men, 19 were released but discharged from service as a result of their traumatization and 3 were presumed dead. He speaks of his desire for death before his incarceration there. He also talks of upcoming political elections and his admiration for Abraham Lincoln and Little Man Ulysses S. Grant.