Paducah April 18.1862

 

My Dear Sister

                        Perhaps you will be surprised to receive a letter from me dated at this place. I will explain to you how I came here. two days after the battle of Pittsburg Landing I was detailed and order came for 1 ^2ond Lieut and two privates to report to genr^l Grants Head Quarters immediately I was sent with our Lieut. to report after we had reported we were surprised to hear we were for the purpose of forming a “Signal corps’ and that we had to go to paducah to be instructed we left there on the 12 ^inst and have been here busy fixing our camp ever since. there is to be 80 privates & 40 Lieut^s I would have written to you sooner/ but we have been busy nearly all the time and as all of our party have not reported it is a good deal harder than if wer all here.

 

I suppose you have by this time heard of the terrible battle of pittsburg landing I was in the fight all day on Monday the 7 but I went throug the fiery ordeal unharmed and unhurt although the air was full of flying shot shell and canister not one of them touched me. we would have been in the battle on sunday but our division was encamped about 6 or 7 miles from the scene of action we were orderd to the field early in the day and started about 10 oclock but/ we took the wrong road and was coming in right behind the rebel forces and as we were not strong enough to go ahead we had to turn back and we did not get inside of our lines until after dark we our division advanced and took our position on the extreme right wing of our army and laid down but not to sleep within 400 yards of the rebel lines at dalight we took our position and commenced with the 9^th ind. battery and soon the fight became general and it was one continual roar of musketry and artillery from right to left and from left to right and so it continued from daylight untill dark/

 

about 2 ^oclock PM we commenced to drive them back and then the firing slacken a little but the rebels would rally and then the firing would commence feireer than ever the roar of the cannon would shake the earth and some times we woud get up within 10 yards of one another and then they who could load and fire the fastest drove the other back. about 4 oclock the enemy was in full retreat in a good deal of confusion and after a hard dys day’s fight we regained the ground we lost the day before and no more I think there was great miss management on sunday by our generals although we were in under a hot fire all day for the enemy tried/ hard to flank us all day we only lost about 40 killed and wounded in our regiment. I will not try to decribe the battle field for my pen is to weak to do it you will get a better description from the papers than I can give you I thought that the battle feild of Donnelson was a horrid sight but it was mot nothing in comparison in with the battlefeild on tuesday morning. God grant that I may never see another such an one Oh it was a terrible sight. It is a kind of satisfaction to know that we have defeated an enemy but when we come to view the horrors of war through the hospitals and hear the gerons groans of the wounded and/ and dying it is but a grim satisfaction at last there is a good many wounded soldiers here and they keep coming here and going to other places. I am well am hearty at present and have been so for some time I received a letter from Ed Brown some time ago he writes me that the times are harder than ever there & that he is going to the gold mines in the spring also that John is gunner on mortar boat No 12 and is now on the Missippi river I have written home since I have been here wel I will close and I remain

 

                                    Ever your Brother

                                    Thomas E Keen

 

PS Direct your letter thru

 

                        Thomas E Keen

            Care of 1^st Lieut. J. B. Ludwick

                        Signal Officer

                        Paducah

                                    KY

Please answer soon and oblige me     E. Keen

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