Dechard, Tenn.

Dear Mary,-

I will write you a few lines today although I am on duty and it is the Sabbath. Dechard is on the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, about eight miles below Nashville. It is quite a station. A branch road runs from this station to Fayetteville, a distance of forty miles. We are guarding the road so the enemy cannot make raids on it. Our duty is to patrol the road each way several miles to a certain point where we will meet other patrols from other stations. Several trains of supplies pass over the road every day and they are to be protected. This is not hard duty like marching and fighting. This is my first duty since my return. My health is improving.

With love,

R. Cruikshank.