Camp At Chatanoga. Tenn. Sept the 23^rd 63

 

Dear and belovid wife it is with the greatest of pleasure that iagain pen afiew lines to you to inform you that iam well at this time our line of battle is formed at this place and whilst i right this our men are a skirmishing with the enemy and ithink their will bee a great battle fought at this place we had a battle with them on last Sunday and it was a verry hard one all of our regament was killed or wounded or taken prisoner except one hundred and eighty Lt Smith was kiled dead and John Kauffman is wounded in the arm their is but one capton left in our regt and five lieutenants our Colonel is badly wounded our regt got out of amunition and they made three beyonet charges after all of their amunition was all gone and drove the rebls and then they had to surrender but some of the men would not stand it and they cut their way out and ran away ithink Lunafin is taken prisoner their is only 15 men in our company itell you it makes me cry to think of it. well igot seven letters day before yesterday one from allen one from george one from John ainsworth and the rest from you and Sis one of yours had 4 stamps in iwas glad to here from you itell you for it was the first time in this month we hav not had a chance to right or recieve any letters / irote you one ithink about the 16 of this month but donot know wether it went out or not but hope it did itell you iam as anctious to get right letters to you as iam to get them for i know that you are anctious to here from me as i am from you itell you this battle beets stone river this was the hardest fighting ever known and it is not over yet the rebels throwed shells in our camp yesterday but they done no damge

 

the rebs hav a mutch larger force than we hav the prisoners say they hav one hundred and fifteen thousand apart of their richmond army is here threw the providence of god iam still spaired and ihope he will still continue his goodness to me this a peace of [?] an old letter that you sent me

 

my paper is in my knapsack and that is on the colonels wagon iwill right as often as ican get a chance the battle lasted two days Satterday and Sonday we was forced to fall back and leave the field so we did not get a chance to berry the ded and a great manny of our wounded fell in to the hands of the rebs it is hart rending to behold a battle scene

 

well ihav ritten all that i can think of at this time will yeagly is safe yet isaw him since the fight britton is here and Wayne Miller, and Jake Lowell

 

Well good by loved one for this time

 

L. B. Wort to S. G. Wort

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