Knoxville Tenn. Sept 27^th 1863.

 

Dear Father

 

I suppose you will begin to think that it is a long time since I last wrote home. The reason I have not written before is that no mail has been sent off since we left our camp 6 miles the other side of Cumberland Ford. I wrote at that time to mother. We left our camp at that place the next day after I wrote and crossed the Cumberland river at the ford. The river was so low that I crossed on some stones that were laid down without wetting my feet. The next day we we reached the celebrated Cumberland Gap and passed through it. The Cumberland Mountains are not quite so high as I expected to find them. The Gap is strongly fortified and it seems as if it would be almost impossible to take it if it was properly garrisoned and provisioned. After leaving the Gap we passed through the town of Tazewell a very pretty town it must have been once but most of the buildings on the principal street were burnt by the rebels last fall when our forces took the Gap The owners were Union men at this place we left the Knoxville road and took the one for Morristown situated on the East Tennessee and Virginia railroad. The reason of this was that we should reach the railroad sooner and at that time I suppose it was intended to send us up into Virginia but since then Rosencrans has been having a fight and we expect we are going to reinforce him. But to return to my story. After leaving Tazewell we crossed the Clinch Mountain which although not so high as the Cumberland is twice as hard to climb. When we got to the top of it however we had a splendid view of the country which repaid us for our trouble in climbing it. We could see clear from the Cumberland mountains the boundary of Kentucky to the Smoky mt^s the boundary of North Carolina. One thing our boys noticed was that you could not see any villages scattered about among the hills as you can in New England. The road on this side is the worst one for teams I ever saw. About half the distance down is nothing but solid rock which slants off like the roof of a house, and the southerners when they undertake to make a road do not more than half build it. It is a wonder how our wagon trains got down it. After crossing this mountain we had a pretty good road to Morristown. We had to ford two rivers the Clinch and Holston. They went knee deep and very wide but it only made a little sport for us. We arrived at Morristown on the 22^nd. This place is forty miles above Knoxville. The next day we were ordered up the railroad to Jonesboro. The first brigade with the exception of our regiment went aboard the cars. We were ordered to go with the wagon train to guard it. We marched out ten miles the first afternoon and camped for the night close to the railroad. About ten oclock at night the troops that went up to Jonesboro came back on the cars and said they were ordered to Knoxville or Chattanooga they did not know which. They also brought orders for us to return to Morristown with the wagon train. So the next morning we started back and remained at Morristown till last night when we were relieved by the 12^th Kentucky. We went to bed last night as usual. I had but just got to sleep however when orders came to pack up and go aboard the cars for Knoxville. We arrived here safely about three oclock this morning and found the rest of our brigade here. We expect to leave here tomorrow morning on the cars for Chattanooga. The report is that Rosencrans has been fighting for several days and that he has sent to Burnside for reinforcements, so we are going down to help him. Perhaps you would like to know how far we have marched in the past week or two. We left Crab Orchard on the 10^th and arrived at Morristown on the evening of the 22^nd, having marched 135 miles in 13 days and rested 3 days out of that time. It is 95 miles from Crab Orchard to the Gap and 40 from the Gap to Morristown. I suppose you would like to know if we find any union sentiment here. There are a great many Union men in East Tennessee without doubt. I went to a house in Morristown to buy me a dinner there were several of our soldiers there to dinner and were talking with the man of the house about the war. He was a union man I should judge. He said the politicians north and south were to blame for the war. He said it was owing to wicked men north and south who were unwilling to make concessions to each other. I could not help but think how nearly that agreed with your sentiments. But I suppose you would like to know how I get along. I got through the march first rate and think that the "excursion" over the mountains did me good after spending the summer in Mississippi. /

 

I have been a little out of tune for a day or two but feel better to-day. My appetite is good and I guess I shall stand it. We have been paid off again since I last wrote but I shall not send any home this time as our mail communications are not very regular and it will be two months before we get any more and if it is not four we shall consider ourselves lucky. But we cannot find any fault with the paymaster of late. But it is getting most time for the mail to close and I must finish my letter. I hope you are all well. Give my love to mother and Mary. I suppose Mary comes home from school once in a while. Tell her I have lost the letter that contained her address. I am sorry but if she will send it again I will take better care of it. /

 

The rest of the Harvard boys are well. Is Leavitt in Harvard now, and how is George Wooster?

 

from your son

E. W. Stacy.

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