4.PM May 17th 98

Leaving Earl Park Ind
My Dear Mother as I did not get an answer to my last letter before leaving Camp yesterday I think it must of got astray or I would of got it before I left. We left Camp Ramsey at 4Pm last night and got to Chicago at 10 this am. over the Wisconsin Central we stayed an hour at Chicago to water our stock and get some coffee for ourselves We have caned Cornbeef and caned Beans and hard tack with us. They changed engines at the stock yards in Chicago to the Illinois Central Ry so we did not stop in the heart of the city but we went through over 30 miles of it. We went through the fair grounds and Pullman it is the pretties place I ever saw. There is three sections of our regiment we are the middle section there is 13 pullman sleepers 1 baggage and 1 stock to each train the other regiment that is going with us left over the Mpes and St L Rly last night was the first night I had all my clothes since I left home. (right in the feathers) From the time we left Camp till we got to Chicgo the track was lined with people waving anything they could get from the Star Spangles Banner to an old pair of drawers or scheineys and every time we stopped which was not often they crowded around us with eatables and cigars and everything We got to Chippewa Falls about 10pm last night and they had coffee and sandwiches for us and the girls were just crazy over us three or four of them would get around one and they would start to move you and they had shears and knives and before you knew it one of your buttons would be gone. While I am writing this I cant keep my eyes from the beautiful sights that can be seen it is just one continues flour garden on both sides of the track the gardens are so green and far advanced and the inside of our cars look like florist houses. We took the III Cent out of Chicago to Kankanlee III then the C C C & St L Ry to Cincinate 0 and the Georges and Gulf Ry from Cincinati will be at Indianapolis about 9pm to night and Cincinnati about 2am and expect to be at Chicamaque Ga Thursday noon

I have forgotten how to write on the train it is quite a while since I did it though I am the only one that is trying it. We are drawing near to the banks of the Wabash so I think this is all this time from

your loving son

Will

P.S. I am going to adress this to Ma for I am going to throw it off the next time we stop and perhaps people will not be so quorious

Billy