Letter from Freeman Patrick to John Patrick

Chickamauga Park,
Lytle, Ga.,
June 30 1898

Dear Father,

I received yours and Howards letter Wednesday evening and was glad to hear from you. We have had no rain here to amount to any thing for 2 weeks. It is very hot down here. The new recruits are being equipped very rapidly. They do not like this country they would rather be back at home. You had ought to hear them kick on the grub. I think that we are getting plenty to eat. The less you eat in this hot country the better you feel. The new recruits have got there new guns. The new fellows have bin writing home and telling them that we are almost starving. I don't think that I will go hungry as long as there is any thing in sight to eat. I think that we will be out of this park before long. We are going some place farther South. You tell Howard that he may be thankfull that he did not come down here for they are prety sick of there job. Water is the only scarce article there is here. Some of it is not fit to drink. There is any amount of black berries down here. We have berries about every day. Logan Smith is lots better then he was last week and he looks better. I wish that we were back to help celebrate the forth with You we will have a grand time here the forth if we do not have to move we are looking every time for to get orders to move. How are you getting along with the farm. I don't supose that it is as big as Evans. If you see Bill tell him that I will send the first scalp I get a holt of. The old boys are all feeling well. Powlimon [?] I guess that that he would get to be Corpral or some other noncomission officer but he is a low private in the rear ranks. Several of our officers have resighned. I bet there will be more before the war is over. I mess with the same fellows that I did when I was at Columbus. Some of the boy would like to be at home for the Fair. We have got all of our underwear[?]. Some of the boy have found plenty of time to hunt for relic. We do not have drills on Sunday. Kenton people are coming in here almost every day. I have seen several boys from Bellefountaine that I knew. We are one of the fifteen regiments that are to leave here. You tell Howard and Lenn [?] that I will ans there letters at some future time as I am so buzzy. I will have to close hoping to heare from you soon.

Yours Ever
Private Freeman Patrick