Dear Brother Frank,

Received our letter mailed the 29 Sept. Was received 2 or 3 days since when our boys that were left at Louisville came up with us. You can’t think how glad I was to hear from home again. I wish you had filled your sheet full though. I received a letter from Millie at the same time. Yours is the second letter I have received from Greenville since leaving Ionia though. I hope others are on the way. I suppose you have read my letter to mother written since the battle. You guessed about right that we should be placed in the front ranks at once. Our advance troops have been skirmishing with the enemy ever since but have not had any battle as I have heard. We have just heard that Gen Wallace has attacked Bragg in front capturing his baggage and provision trains and a number of prisoners. You know probably more about the battle than I do. We privates can’t find out anything hardly. But it is thought that the battle was considerable of a fight. One of the citizens rode aver the field two days after the battle and counted 1,000 dead rebels and that was after a great many had been buried. Our loss was at least 1,500 in killed and wounded. The line of battle extended 7 to 12 miles (estimated).

We have marched between 30 and 40 miles the last two days. Passing through Danville Tuesday and Lancaster yesterday. My health continues good and I relish my pork and hard bread as well as I ever did anything. I carry as much as anyone and more than most of the Co. but keep in the ranks and stand it better than 9/10 of the Co. I guess we are making for Cumberland Gap. We have suffered some for water to drink and wash in but have had plenty for a day or two. I have gone without washing my hands and face for two days and or twice. But I have not suffered from thirst anyway though I fill my canteen once or twice with water that I wouldn’t wash my feet in back home.

Ain’t it queer that I am not homesick more. But I do look forward with delight to the time when I shall come home again. I do believe that the war will come to an end before spring don’t you?

Perhaps you would like to know how we do our cooking. Well, when we stop for the night some of us are sent after rails for a fire and water for coffee. We carry 2 or 3 camp kettles with us as our train is not with us, only once in 2 or 3 days. We carry our rations of salt pork, hard crackers, (which we call Hardee’s Tackies) sugar and coffee in our haversacks, Some of the boys carry frying pans and coffee pots but I carry enough without. If I am in a hurry I fry a slice of pork on a stick and drop the fat onto a cracker but sometimes take the pork raw. But generally I fry my pork on my tin plate then boil my crackers in the fat with a little water. We have fresh beef every few days. Had rice this morning but I don’t care for that. I don’t drink much coffee but use some without sugar in my canteen with water to drink during the day. Generally lunch at noon on crackers and sugar.

Have slept in the open air every night this month but have not had much rain so we have been favored on that account. I don’t know how this will go but I must finish it in a hurry or it will not go at all. I sent a couple of PawPaw seeds which you can plant this fall if you want to. I also send a couple pods of cotton which one of the boys picked. Love to all the friends. I shall write as often as I can and hope to hear from home soon. How I wish I could see you all. We have no Sabbath here, but march right along. Write all the news, tell folks to send postage stamps every time they write. I don’t know where I shall get one for this letter I guess this is really a sheet ful[l.]

Truly your brother, Chauncy A. Peck

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