Camp near Fayetteville Tenn. July 25th 1863

Dear Frankie:--

I received your letter of June 26th on the 20th of this month. It must be that there are several of your letters somewhere which have not reached me yet, for the last I got before was written in May. I wrote you a long letter last week when we were at Huntsville. I hope you have got it. Mail communication with us not very frequent or regular. We left Huntsville on the 20th—Gen. Mitchell’s division arriving at Fayetteville on the 21st. Gen. Stanley went with his division somewhere close I do not know where. Why our forces fell back from Huntsville I do not know unless it be to get supplies more conveniently. We are on a railroad and I understand it is in operation to Winchester which is, I believe, some 25 miles east from here. We are having a pretty easy time of it just now,--not much to do and plenty to eat. We have full army rations of most things now and the strictness of discipline has been greatly relaxed within a few days—no camp guards are around us and the men are allowed to go out and kill hogs, get potation, roasting ears, apples which are beginning to get ripe or almost anything they want, so that we are living as good as anyone could wish to and it seems wonderful good to us after our long time of hard work and short rations. I have no reason to complain any more on the blackberry scones. I have all that I can eat every day & have to go but a short distance for them. We still have to get up before daylight saddle our horses and remain in line for about an hour every morning. Rebel scouts are frequently seen lurking around our camps. Yesterday I was out picking berries alone & unarmed (contrary to my usual custom) and came within a few rods of five. Fortunately I was not perceived by them. Three days ago two men of Co. D left their post on picket and went out into the country and were taken prisoner by a squad of rebels and paroled. The Gen. does not recognize their paroles as legal, and to punish them for their neglect of duty has deprived them of the privilege of bearing arms and sentenced them to cook and do drudgery for their company during their terms of service. Day before yesterday one of the 4th Ind. Cav. was found dead hung to the limb of a tree a short distance from camp.; It is supposed that he had been pillaging and plundering from the citizens, and making counterfeit confederate money till they had got so exasperated that finding him alone they hung hung him, and from what I can learn he was not found a great way from right.

Sgt. Lonn returned two days ago. He had been at Murfreesboro a long time waiting for a chance to join us. It seems he did not go to see you. We stopped at Giles’s went out to McEwan’s & to Cambridge.

I am well so are the rest of the boys. Weather has been very hot lately, raining moderately today. We keep hearing good news in relation to the war. If it is all true the war is already at an end; but of course it will not do to believe but a very little of it. The mail has just come again & no letter for me

Perry