Chattanooga Tenn June 11th 1864     Dear Mother    I will now  write a few lines to you  we arrived here last night  about one oclock and styed  on the cars until morning  and this morning about  sunrise we got off the   cars and went to a soldiers  home and got our breckfast  and about noon we had  to go out and make room  for some wounded and  we went out and stacked  arms a while and it rained   and then we went into some  tents and we will stay here  all night a prehapes longer  I saw George Parmer he is   
        page 2     the one that belongs to John  Whitings company thare  time is out to morrow they  did not reenlist they will    be at home soon I guess  it is about 120 miles from  here to whare Sherman is  fighting they are fighting  every day we will go thare  as quick as we can get trans-  portation and that will be  before long to day we drew  clothing we drew once before  this I drew a pair of boots  and a rubber blanket and  that is all I need Calvin  Songster is sick to day with  the Ague he has had it  twice and I have not had   it but once. I think the  medicin that I got of George  done me a grate deal of good  I only had the Ague one day   
        page 3     I used to have it two or three  days at a time but I feel      good now I am getting as  fat as a pig we will be  whare the bullets fly in a few  days if nothings happens I  am ready to go there  must be five or six thousand  wounded here in Chattanooga  they cannot get away yet  Genl Sherman is within  about 15 miles of Atlanta  and will be in thare soon  I was in hopes he would   get thare before I did so  he would get us a boarding  house but I guess we will have  to fight for it well we are  the boys that can do it we  do not feel right without  we are in front thare is  a grate many Regt just going  home that there time is   
        page 4     out and they did not  -------- they could not see the  point it has rained most  all day and it is awfull  muddy now we are in sight  of look out mountain now it  is twenty three hundred  and fifty feet high the river  runs along at the foot of the  mountain I have not much  more to write this time  I have not received a letter yet  since I have been here I am  in hopes to get some pretty   soon this makes four letter that  I have written to you when  you write to me direct to  John D Beach Co G 55 Ill Vol  Via Chattanooga Tenn we do not  know yet what Brigade we will   be in yet I wrote to Fred when  we was in Huntsville please write  often from your son  give my respects to Hily  J D Beach