Letter No

31

 

Camp at Chattanooga Tenn.

Oct 25^th 1863

 

My Dear Friends.

                        It is a long time since I have written to you. I dont know as I ever delayed so long before, unless we were on a march, but here it has been different & when you know the reason I know you will excuse me.

 

            I received your welcome letter some time ago. it is the first letter I have received that was written since the battle & oh! you don't know how anxious we are to get letters from home when we can hear from no where else & then only once in a while. I see that you have had quite a buisey time & so you could not write much. 

 

My last was mailed along the first of this month. since then we have been to work changeing & being changed. the whole army almost has been changed. there used to be 3 Corps but now there are only two. the 14 & 4 Army Corps. the 20 & 21 Army Corps has been consolidated into one to be commanded by Maj Gen Gorden Granger. Gen Thomas commands us yet but we are afraid we will lose him yet. he has command here now as Gen Rosecrans has gone to Washington. Maj Gen Rousseau has command of the Corps. he still commands the 1^st Division

 

            We have changed camp again & for the first time can I say that the 1^st Division & 1^st Brigade is not in front, but that dont lessen the duty at all. we are held in reserve last week we gave up the works we had been working on ever since we came in here to other troops & took up our position on the right / & rear of the lines we are building a large fort here now. there is no news nothing going on on either side only fortifying. the rebels are getting some heavy guns mounted where they can shell the town. they commenced one afternoon but did not do any harm. they got the range prety well with one gun but that was silenced. they threw shells every hour during the night but they did not disturb my sleep at all. the other evening we opened on them from fort "Wood" with our 30 pounders & shelled them every half hour during the night. we got such good range on them that they had to move their camp. the next day I was on picket. we was on the front line it commenced to rain & the wind blew, so take it together it was prety cold. we was on the first relief & had to go out the first. there was three of us that was on the extream right of our line. the a creek divided the us from / the rest of our line on the right & we being the last was pushed way out to within 20 rds of the rebel pickets. I have marked out on a little peice of paper the position of our lines where our station was. you will see at the bend of the creek no. [blot] vidette that is where 3 of us stood & right across from there (marked xx) was the rebel picket within talking distance. you see the line we were on was in advance of that on the other side of the creek & there being a thick clump of bushes along the creek around the bend we were put out there to keep them from flanking us or creeping up around and cut off the vidette post. in the afternoon it stoped raining & the rebs came out to where their picket was standing & commenced to look at us we knew they were talking of us by their laughing so one of the boys called out & asked them if they had any tobacco. Mr reb said that they had plenty & pulled out a lot & told us to come & get some then he asked us if we had any whiskey we told him it had "played out" he then got a canteen & shook it at us & said they had plenty of that. then they all took a drink. I had the "Mortor" with me that I had just received the evening before & had not read it. I took it out & thought that if I could change it for one of their papers I would not mind it if I had not read it, so I waved it at them, when their Lieut. came out & said they did not have any paper to change but would like to trade some- /

 

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thing else for it. well I did not want any of their tobacco or whiskey so I thought I would not trade any that time. about midway from their post & the one we were on they had driven a lot of rail into the ground pointed towards our line every night they advance a squad of men out to them. we could hear them during the night they were about 15 rods from us but did not disturb us as it is against orders for either side to fire unless they advance in force,       Turn to Page 5 

 

Page 5

I could see the fires on both sides way down on the right. I was about half way between the too lines. it did not rain much more during the night but the wind bleu was blew hard & was very cold. I did not have any overcoat & did not take my wollen blanket as it rained so hard so I was without every thing except my ruber blanket. my boots I have thrown away stockings are not to be had & I have been without for 3 weeks. mud is over ancle deep down town every where else except on the side of the high hills & mountains we have been on full rations of hard bread once since we have been here. since then ¾ rations of hard bread & coffee & fresh meat. sugar has disapeared alltogether sometimes we would not get but ¼ rations but now I think we will get plenty. it will not be found / out untill there is no "Army of the Cumberland" what good many of the boys have done to live & done more than double duty all of the time. I see that some papers calls this last battle a complete defeat & blames Rosecrans. there is only one thing I can say & that is that he & his army did all they could do but at every point we were met with double our numbers & were compeled to fall back but it was no slight work for them to do for they lost more than we did. but it could not be helped. we could not prevent them from getting such heavy reinforcements. the rebels cannot get us out of this place & if reinforcements get here we may yet drive the rebels over the same battle ground. we can hope for the best anyway. I saw Cousin James last sunday. he was well. he has been promoted to sargent. he is 2^d Sargent now. he gets $17 per month Alfred & Harold Galpin were well when I saw them last. I have not seen Alf but once & that was only a short time I dont know where he is since we have moved camp, but it is getting late & I must close. the postage stamps came through all right. Give my best respects to all who enquire for me.

 

            love to all at Home. Yours as ever

 

Write Soon & often                Frank.

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