Camp near Columbia. Nov 19^th 1862

 

            Dear Brother and Sister;—

                                                            I with joy these trying times, again assume my seat to write you a few lines. Your kind letter of the 5^th reached me on the 10^th and you cannot immagine how pleased I was to hear from you as it was so long since I received a letter from you. The last letter I got from you I received at Delaware and not one since. You stated that you wrote several but I never got them. It was said that rebel Morgan got or captured several of our mails. If he did I think we will try and kill him. It is the talk that he will try us a hack soon to see what he can do. Our pickets are out several miles just now. I think that our turn will come soon as we must stand twice for all the rest once. I do not know why but I guess we do it right or they would not put us on so often. Standing picket is dangerous work but I like it. We left Lebanon and are now at Columbia Adair County Ky. We have been at a great many places since we left Camp Delaware. / I can tell you all the places we have been and towns but I hardly think it nessary to tell you the names of all the towns but I will tell you where we encamped. We left Camp Delaware 11^th of Sep and arrived in Cincinnati 13^th. There we drew our bounty and clothes, and on 19^th we went to Camp Wallace in Ky. and on the 23^rd we went to Cincinnati and took a steam-boat and went to Louisville. We arrived in Louisville 25^th and went to a camp called camp Welder. We remained there untill the 1^st of Oct and then we started on a march and on the 8^th we had a fight and a hard one too. We arrived on the ground at about one o'clock and went into the battle at about two. The day before and that day we heard the cannons booming like thunder. The day of the battle we stoped about a half an hour on the way and it was about three miles from the battle. I tell you the cannons did roar but I felt cool all the time. Some of the boys felt like going back but I did not. I was ready to fight if we had too. We then started and went pretty fast untill we got there; some of us were very near sufficated as we had no water but mud. They halted us near the field and sent some for water but we had to go before they got back, so / we had to go into the battle without water. They marched us to the enemy at once and then never told us to fire. We were marched within fifty yards of them and never fired at them, but got the word retreat. In the retreat some of our companies in the reg. got confused and started for themselves. Our company did right well I must say except a few men, and they run like a deer that the hounds were after. The musket balls and shell fell and flew around us like hail. Our Captain halted his men several times but could do nothing as the rebels were coming up as fast as they could. We then retreated back to a gutter in the field where the Capt told us to fall in and do the best we could. We done as he ordered us but he did not stay long nor did his men except three of us, and they were Brother Mose and another man in our company by the name of Mr. John Calm and I; we lay there till the battle was over and that was at dusk. The rebels came up to us within a hundred and fifty yards holding their flag before and above them but it was not long there till it was cut down by our men. Us three lay in the gutter firing into them as fast as we could. Our men soon gained the ground that we lost and passed over much of theirs / In the evening us three took a secesh with us and a young man of the 123 Illinoise that was wounded in the arm, to a hospital near by. We give the secesh into an officers hands and remained at the hospital all night. We helped to cary the wounded soldiers in off the wagons and caried water for them all night. I never saw such a sight before and hope I never may here after. Some of the men asked us to shoot them for go gods sake and others called for water Oh! it is to awful to think of what they looked like. Some had their faces shot half off and they were wounded in every way that you can think off. We remained at the hospital untill four o'clock the next day when we found out where our regiment was. We then went to them and found that several were wounded but not very bad. (That is out of our Company) This sheet has got dirty but still I suppose it will do. Gen. Jackson Webster and Terriel fell in the contest and many others. The second day after the battle we marched over the battle-field and there were any amount of men and horses laying in all directions. Some of the rebels we did not find and the hogs eat them up. It seemed hard yet worse things happened. I hope and trust we never need to see another battle like the one we did see. I saw all I want to see; I saw the elaphants head and part of his body. I do not care about seeing his tail. After the battle we went to Perryville and from there we went to Lebanon. From Lebanon we went to Campbellville and from there we went to Columbia where we are at present. I do not know how long we will remain her as it is uncertain. On our marches we suffered very much for the want of water and rations. We did not suffer so much for crackers but for water. We chased hogs out of mud holes and drank the water and thought it was good. We will get along I know I feel satisfied with what we have. I always am.

 

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