December 13th 1862
Ringgold Catoosa County Ga

Dear Companion

I again take the opertunity of writing to inform you that I am in common helth at present hopen these lines will Reach you safe and find you all well I came to this place the 9th of this month and is in the Buckner Hospatal I feel like I was able for duty again if I had any strenght to march But my Legs feels week ever since I come out of Kentucky and I don’t believe they will ever get any better as long as I stay in camps and have to march the way we have had to do F M Crumly is here with me and is about as he was with his pains Curtis Ledford is here and is well at this time and is detaild as a nurse in the Bragg Hospatal there was some furlowed home this morning but it was them

(pg 2) that was all most Dead and no hopes of them ever geting well It lookes like I will never get the chance to come home no more unless I was to do like some of the boys has done run away and come there was two left here last night out of my Regment and one out of my company and the other out of the Union Company but I cant Blame them nor no body that knows how we have been treated cant blame them for runing a way for it is all the way they have got to live for they cant live long and stay in camps and take the frost and snow with out tents and be marched to death Besides I left my regment at Manchester but it was ordered from there to Murfreesborough and I heare that our men is falling back

(pg 2) from there so I think that they will fall back to Chattanooga before long for they all ways pich in like they was going to do something and if the yankees don’t back they will and this is one of the times I don’t think the yankees will back our men has got the Rail Road Bridge at Bridgeport most done and I think they will fall back so as for the Yankees to burn it a gain in less than one month But I hope it will not Be the Case but the works of our men looks to me like it would be the case I expect that they will send me back to my Regment in a few days for they are sending all back that they can get off But if they send me to the Regment I will to them no good yet so they had as well Keep me here a while

(pg 3) Longer I come a cross some of my kin folks to day here in the hospatal from Alabama By the name of Ecols and a son in law of Robert Crumly So I will come to a close by asking you to write soon and Direct to Ringgold Georgia Buckner Hospatal
So Good bye for a while
                                                                                                               L F Crumly
To Nancy E Crumly