Corinth Mississippi Apr 17 1862

 

Dear Father

                        I seat my self this mourning to answer your letter received by the hand of Nist Oliver I was truly glad to here from you I also recd the 20 Dollers for which I am mutch obliged to you as I was needing some this letter leaves me and the boys all well we have had a fight which you will doubtless here eare you receive this letter the fight comenced on Sunday mourning at day light 25 miles from this place on the Tenisee River we drove them back to the river and camped in there tents Sunday night our forces is estimated at 50 or 60 thousand thers at 60 or 70 we taken 6000 prisoners and 118 canon and a great miny wagones mules and aminition and small armes of the best quality they were reinforced Sunday night with 20 thousand by General Buell we were reinforced by 10 thousand Sunday eavening Monday morning the fight commenced at day light our forces fell back to where we comenced fighting Sunday mourning to get out of the range of there gun boats we repulsed them on monday with a heavy loss and boath armeyes then fell back we in the vicinity of Corrinth they to the river boath partyes leaveing there dead and wounded on the field on monday night a heavey rain fell which made the roads almost impaseble Firest Regiment and part of ours had / a fight with 1 regiment of there Cavalery backed by 2 regiments of there Infintry on Tusday eavening we whiped them badily and taken 40 prisoners there loss was neare 50 ours was 15 It has been a boody battle I expect one of the hardest fought battles on record they estimate there loss in the Nashville papers at 20 thousand killed wounded taken prisoners and our loss a great deal more then theres we sent a flag of truce to burry our dead they refused it and said that they would burry our dead the resun of there refusing our flag I guess was that there armey was neere there and that they did not want us to see them they have left there where they have gone I cannot tell our forces are leaveing here where they are going I dont know Van dorn and price are here with there forces we have neere 150 thousand men here in this division at this time General Buregard is in command I forgot to mention to you that A Sidney Johnson was killed Sunday eavening he was shot in the leg and blead to death we have taken Nashville was taken by Curby Smith with 20 thousand men a fiew days ago all of the Cavalry forces will be sent back to tenisse on a 40 days scoute we take nothing but our blankets we will start in the course of a day or two I may not have and oppertunity of wrighting to you soon but when I get up in Tenisee and have a chance I will wright you again I was not in this last fight they expected a fight Iuka Sprigs / 2 or 3 days before orders came to Col Foster to cook 2 days rashines and start to Iuka Sprigs that night we started about 10 oclock rode all night and till 3 oclock the next day reached the town and found that it was only a faint movement on the part of the enimy so as to draw our forces a way from corrinth so that they could make and attact we got back to camp the next day at dark orders came to cook 4 days rationes and start at day light the next mourning Tom peterman wanted to go I gave him my horse not expecting that there would be a fight at that time we herd the canon at corrinth Sunday mourning we managed to get some horses and started to the fight on monday mourning but did not get there in time to do any fighting if we had got there in time I dont know as we would have done any good as the Cavalry was not of any service no way at that place I will close as I cannot think of aney thing more to wright at present I will close by saying our army is in fine spirits

           

Your affectionate Son untill death

John A Gage

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