Vermilionville

Nov 6^th 63

 

                        Dear Brother I received your kind letter dated Oct 8^th last night and was very glad to hear from you again I rec Rhodas that you spoke about over a week ago and answered it right away and sent one to you at the same time but I will try and write some more as we have moved since in the first place I am well and hope you are the same wel for some reason or other we moved back from opelousas and some say it was because we could not get provision enough through it is geting very muddy in this country but how that is I dont know. eney way last Saturday morning we was mustered for 2 monthes more pay and setled / and setled up with uncle Sam or will be when he pays us up to November and I owe him $4.37 more than he alowed me for clothes we was alowed $49.00 but I was not so bad off as some there was some of the boys that had as high as $15 00 and some more than that in the regt but that has nothing to do with war

 

well after we was mustered we went out on picket and that night at 10 oclock we had orders to berrady to move earley in the morning so we felin at 6 and went to camp and at 8 we started on the back track and marched back to Carrion Crow bayou some 21 miles and the roads was quite muddy if not more so and I was jist about gon up as well as some others and in the morning I felt misera / bly refreshed after a damp night but that did not help the mater for at 6 we was caled in line again and started again leaving the 13 army corps at that plaice and we came hear about 10 oclock and erected our tents and had agood snooze in the after noon and rested that night very well and the next day we began to clean up around and in the after noon at 3 we was going to have a short batalion drill to keep us from geting stiff and had jist got in line and was going through the manule of arms when we hurd that the rebes was after us and then we had orders to fill our canteens and then was marched back through the town out on the plaines half amile to meet them and laid in line untill after sundown then started for camp but jist before we got there we went on picket and had / to send to camp for our supper and blankets well we got along with that but about 1 oclock at night we had orders to fall in and go to camp and had a kitle of coffee and then fell with the rest of the brigade and at alittle past 2 we started to reinforce the 13 Corps with our ruber blankets one days rations and a canteen of water and we marched back to carrion crow by 7 but the fun was all over it seamed that there was a force of 5 or 6000 rebes above us and they had followed us rite back and atacked the 13 they say they left one division in advanse and they wer geting thear pay and did not keep a very good wach and there was some of the 2^nd La Cavilry deserted and crosed the lines and let the rebes know how things was So they pounsed in on them and I suppose the green backs flew some the rebs surrounded the brigade and took some 4 or 500 prisiners they say we had onely 40 kiled and about 100 wounded we had one battery that was surrounded three times but cut thear way out the rebes got two cannon but our men took one / one back again they say there was more horses kiled than men our men took 100 prisiners and the next day they found the other cannon myred fast in the woods and got it out where the rebes had to leave it our folks went out with aflag of truce and exchanged wounded prisiners at opelousas there was some of our boys went to the hospetal and saw the wounded I felt rather tired in the fore noon and in the after noon I was on guard so I did not get achance but the boys said it was a hard sight and yesterday morning at 6 we started back and brought all the wounded to vermillionville and took the court house for a hospetal and we came to camp prety well used up

 

H R Hess A McConnell and myself / got our tent fixed up nicely and got our mail and it commensed to rain and we had arite smart shower it rained so hard we could hardly stay in our shanty but it happened we raised the floor above the level so we did not have to move as I did onse before we got some cotton for our bed and I had a bulley old snore last night and this morning it is clear and pleasent and the water is drying up quite fast and I guess it will be all plumb

 

Bill Egelston says he jist hurd Dr Rock the medical directer teling that the ofisial report was that we lost 700 in all the other day Well I suppose you will see more about it in the paper than I know about it so I wont write eney more of it you said O F long was in elmira when you wrote and had not hurd from me yet well when he / wrote to me he said that likely he would not stay there more than six weeks so I directed to Norfolk Va Co I 148 NYSVol and I wrote again the other day and I got aletter from bess She said that Jo French had married car Dunns sister She said that was all the news she knew from pulteney and also one from Julie Loveridge She said Lee was at poughkeepse atending commercial college and Garry had the ague Hull was going to school Lines Loveridge died afew days before with the typhoid fever &&cc

 

well pete if I thought we would go in camp and stay eney time I would like to have you send me some more pills like those that I got from home with my boots and also some camphier gum it is very good to keep the creepers out of my drawrs and shirts by rubing it along the seams pleas write as often as you can and give me all the knews so good by pete this is from Wilson

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