Fin Castle Tennessee    May the 24th 1862

Dear Companion it is with greate pleasure that I imbrace the present opertunity of answering yours of the 11th which has Just Come to hand F M has just come to the Rigment and Brout it to me F M is well and so am I and hope that thes Lines will Find you all well we have Been marching up and Down the Road from the Big Creek Gap to near the Cumberland Gap all this week We Left the Big Creek Gap Last Monday and has Been marching Evry Since and to day it has Been Raining and the mud is shooe mouth deep and the mud is so sticky that my Legs akes Badly tonight We take all sorts of wether and some of the time the wether is verry Bad we are on our way Back Down the Road But we may turn Back in the morning for we Dont Know one Day what we will Do the next you wanted me to write how I am Satisfide I can Say that I am Verry well Satisfide if I could here from home oftener and I want you to be shore and write Evry week and I will try to Do the same I want to see you and the children the worst in the world a man cant tell how well he Likes his family untell he gets where he cant see them and only here from them only once in two weeks and some time once a month tell Mr Allison Ledford that E C Ledford is not well But he is mending verry fast Wesley Ledford has his old Complaint a burning in his Brest and Lafayett Ledford has his toe nail grode down so he cant march and Jeptha Ledford has a pane in his cripple leg J C Bell R Abernathy and the Dooleys Sims and Norris is well

(pg 2) we heard that there was a Big Fight in Western Virginia Near the Kentucky Line and the news come in Last night and you never herd hollowing untell then a Bout three thousand men hollow at one time the news was that our side Kiled one thousand and taken Eighteen hundred prisoners and But few died on our side But I fear the new is too good to Be true there is more talk of peace at this time But I fear it will Be a Long time Before it will Be made But I wish how soon I Dont Know what sort of an ___ Emily made a plowing but I know that your plowing looked awfull you and Emily must do the best you can and we will come home when we can get the Chance and I shall send you some more money when I draw again and I dont think it will Be Long untell we will you must Excuse Bad writing for I have to sit on the ground and write on my Knap sack for a table so I will say that I dont think that we will Ever have a fight here we are here garding the mountains to keep the tories from crossing the mountains to Kentucky to join Lincolns army I want you to make me ten yards of Light Gray janes if you can get the wool and when I need it I will try to come home and get it and if I cant come home I will try to send for it I Dont think that I shall need any cloths this sumer for I have more to toat at this time than I can carry But I want it Ready when I need it But make all the corn you can and make the janes after Waras F M says he will write in a Day or two he has just wrote If you have here from G M & Alford I want you to write to me I have sent two Letters to them and got no answer Direct you Letters to Knoxville untell I write to you to Direct some wher els

So no more at present But remains you husband untell Death

To Nancy E. Crumly   Leander F Crumly

you musent think hard of the way I wrote for I had not got no Letter in so Long I was pesterd Badly Kiss the Baby for me

Good By for this time