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if the Rebbles would lay down their arms and return to the Union before the first of january, all well if not their property would be confiscated. We can hardly beleive any thing we hear in the army. [illegible] After dinner and you bet it was a good one. We had W. S. Shingles plenty of fresh beef soup, and coffee I'm a regular coffee taker already. Well we have had a hard march to get here the 19th reg Left St. Louis on the 11th came to Rolla on the car's, from there we marched to this place in nine days, about 1.25 miles. We marched moderately at first. we had to travel with regard to the streams of water. we marched a long march on saturday with the intention to lay over Sabbath but when we got to the camp, their was no water except a pond covered over with green Skum. so we were marched on on Sabbath the longest march we made, 22 miles nearly half of the men gave out and came stragling into camp until after knight . The greatest trouble was we could get no water . we filled our canteens in the morning but a quart of water is scant allowance for a day especially when you march through the dust shoe top deep. and the sun coming down like fire I'll bet you wouldent have known us if you had seen us, we were naturally ! covered up with dust On monday we arrived at Mill Springs, about 13 miles from here. where we rested one day and