Dear Father and Mother

I thought I would write a fiew lines in answer to yours of the 29.. of last month I was very glad to here from you. I hope this will find you as well as I am at this time It is awful cold here it is raning and haleing to day it is not very nice out here on the hills and rocks a round Nashville we have to carry our wood a bout half a mile and it is not very good when we git it

the rebs have tryed to take in our pickets once or twice but they could not do it. we have lots to eat now we can buy apples and bread and bear and all such things.. I never saw the rebs so bold as they are now they will stand a round and let a fellow shoot at them they drove in the pickets yesterday it did not amount to mutch. I saw Wm Parkinson the other day he was over here he looks well I think he will make a good soldier he thought they had a hard time as hard a time

as we have had I cant see it that way. the other night when we was on picket we could here the rebs playing their bands they played dixey [sp. Dixie] and some more that I knew they feal very large to think they have got us back here. they have tryed to cross the river twice some got a cross both times not very many the gun boat run through there bridge and broke it in two they took in 700.. one time that is the way to do it I guess old Hood thinks he will make us fall back from here I hardly think he can

do it.. well I hope this thing will come out all right I dont think the war will end for some time yet it will last longer than we will have to stay but I hope not. I think Grandmother was in quite a hurry back. Well I have wrote all I can think of So I will quit Write often to Your Hopeful

Henry H Maley

Wm M
E A Maley