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Regiment: 23rd Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
You can give this paper to
Camp 23rd Mich Vol
Em but you can keep the
Bowling Green Kentucky
letter
March 6th 1863
Dear father I take my pen in hand once more
to inform you that I am wel I received a letter from you
and Em a few days ago and was very glad to hear from
you and hear that you was all well we are having very
good times here now although our regiment has a good deal
of duty to perform. they come on duty every other day
they put our company through pretty snug because we
have the most men fit for duty that there is in
any other company on the ground I went down to Nashville
Tuesday night and spent all day wendsdey in viewing
the city and came back Wendsday night there was twenty
of us went down to guard the train. there was a train
burned a few days ago loaded with government stores
and mules a grate many of which ware burned as well
as all of the stores and we have to send 48 men through
with the trains one half of them in the morning and
the rest in the eavening. we went through in the night
and that gave us a chance to see the city of Nashville. it
is quite a large city but it is very mutch scattered there is
some very nice buildings but where there is one good
building you will find it surrounded by some old one
stone wooden buildings that is half rotten down there is
about twenty thousand soldiers now in Nashville able for
duty and there is about twelve thousand sick and wounded
soldiers in that place I went up to the state house
and went all through the building it is one of the nicest
sights I ever saw in my life it is built of white
marble and is four stories high and marble or
iron except the windows and doors I went into the
representatives hall it has a marble floor but that
is covered with a very costly carpet. around the stand
where the speaker stand is pillows of red marble
and that is polished so that you can see your face
in it there is a chundilear whitch hangs in the center
of the room whitch has 49 lamps and cost over one
thousand dollars from this room I went to the senators hall
that has a very nice carpet also and is furnished
with very costly furniture. there is a big arm chair
and a desk for every man and the walls are coverd
with portraits of all the Tennifsie statesmen
and from this room I went into the libarie and
that is ahead of anything I ever saw the room
on the inside is two stories in hight and there is
three galleries and each of thies with shelves
arranged all around whitch is filled with books there is
an iron post runs up through the center of the
room and a pair of winding stairs whitch wind rite
around this post whitch is made of iron they take
you up from the flour to the first second and
third galery when you asend these stairs you go right
strate up and keep turning around this post all the
time until you reach the top the house is well fortified
there is four large thirty two pound seage guns and
eight ten pound guns thies all command the
entire city and the building is situated on a hill
the ground the citey is built on is very rouling
and lays on the cumberland river the railroad
bridge that crosses the river is very wide and deep the depth at the
the day I was there and one iron clad gun boat.
the barracks that we had to go to was the gallucoffer
hotel which is enclosed but not finished. there is 365 rooms
and will hold 2300 men will write more next time. Write often and oblige me.
I shall have to stop short George Van
