.NTM4.OTE3

Presume you would be interested in a detailed account of my getting to the Regt. after leaving N.O. Well I left the Camp of Distribution in N.O. on the 29th of Dec. had under my charge 16 men mostly Substitutes and drafted men with orders to turn them over to the Provost Marshal at this place. When I arrived here and turned the men over to the Provost Marshal, he gave me orders to take charge of eight of them and proceed to five mile creek and report them to their respective Regts. In a rough way he said he wanted me to execute the order if I had to go to Mobile to do it, the last order I barely escaped putting in to effect. Thus we started, nine of us without a gun, pistol or hardly a bowie knife, in a strange country, with no idea of the roads, or the direction that we were to take from all the information that we could gain from Soldiers at this place we were to keep to the right hand road, which road was not cut up by baggage trains, on account of there being so many mud holes but that the Infantry had traveled it for it was some nearer. We started out pretty brash for all were anxious to get to camp, the road ran nearly due East and nearly all the time in sight of the Sound We marched untill we thought we had gone a long six miles which distance they told us it was when we came in sight of a small town, and could see the camp fires, and horses picketed out to the trees for we were not over a fourth of a mile off. For some cause I was a little suspicious which made me a little cautious. I advanced cautiously untill I got behind a clump of bushes where I could have a fair sight of them, and sure enough there were no blue coats there nothing but Confed Cavalry. One thing is certain we beat a hasty retreat, and many a glance was cast behind to see if any one followed us. When we arrived back here again was told seven miles down the Sound there was a nest of Rebels quartered in a small town which had never been broken up We cooked a little Coffee and had a bit of fat Pork roasted on a Stick after which we again started for camp and arrived there first before dark That trip was a hard one for me and I did not get over the effects of it for a week, but now am getting like myself again gaining my strength fast.