Letter from Orlando L. French to Lydia French

25

In Camp at Danville Kentucky

Oct 23rd 1862

Dear Lydia

There is now a chance to send a letter right through to Franklin Grove where it will be mailed to you. I have now written seven or eight letters to you but presume they will not all reach but this I am pretty sure of

We have been on twenty five miles from this where we laid over three days. We then came back and our troops had got five miles beyond this towards Lebanon when our Brigade was ordered to about face and they camped here that night, 21st.

The next morning two Regiments of our Brigade with one Battery was ordered back to Lancaster, ten miles with five days rations. The other two regiments composing this Brigade were ordered to remain here until the return of the expedition, which will be three days longer. There is something in the wind which will develop itself.

but what, we are only able to co[njec]ture.

I will write again in a few days Remington went to Lebanon Sunday and has not returned, yet which has been the means of keeping me very busy. Last night I got a full nights sleep for the first time for over a week. Very often I am up all night at other times I sleep half the night and others an hour or two, but I have got so short I can lay down at any time & place and sleep like a book and it does not seem to wear upon me as I supposed it would. I don't know but I feel as well as I should if I were at home, which surprises me very much when I see hosts of other stout fellows falling around me all of the time, and filling up the hospitals where they are almost sure to die.

Every church in this city,--and there are some large ones--and every school house, together with the courthouse and barns, and every available place are filled with the sick, - not wounded, but sick which are reported to amount ot eight thousand. I dread a sick hospital worse than a dozen battle fields.

There is one thing connected with my duty that is very harrowing to my feelings. When we are on a march, with the train in the rear we find thousands of noble fellows that have droped by the road side unable to go any farther, while others are just able to drag one foot after the other, and my instructions are to take no one into our waggons not even if we are empty, but when we come along to those of our own regiment I often disobey orders and smuggle them through. --it is rough rough, and a fellow to get along well dont want to have any feelings

But I am very thankful that I am well, an I hope to keep so I want to hear from you very much, and whenever you get a picture that you can send me by mail, do so, the sight of a woman's face, or any thing but a darkey's is getting to be quite a rarity. I have nothing further to write now. I write so often that I cannot make them very lengthy.

Stackpole, from Dixon is very sick and is up town in a hospital and I dont believe he will ever come out of it alive.

Lieut Giles has been very sick he has lost 25 lbs of flesh but he is a little better now.

Write often Direct to

O L French

75th Regt [?] Vol Louisville Kentucky