Little Rock Ark.

May 12^th 1864

 

                        Respected friend. With pleasure do I take my pen in hand to answer your very welcome letter of March 16^th which I received while I was at Camden, but as I had no opportunity to write at that place your letter had to go unanswered until the present time. You may perhaps think that I have committed the same error that I once did by neglecting to write to you when I ought to have written, but such is not the case this time for the surrounding circumstances rendered the matter almost an impossibility for the time. But now that I am once more in my tent, with every thing pleasant and comfortable around me I shall try to answer your letter, hoping that you will not blame me so very much when you come to know the situation of the army and the relation to which the regt to which I belong bore to it and the amount of traveling we have done since we left here on the 23^rd of March till the present time. As you are already aware that there was a movement of the troops from this place under Gen Steele also the result is no doubt known to you before this time, therefore I do not deem it necessary only to give you a very brief sketch of what transpired on the route, from and back again to this place. The journey I presume was like all others of a similar nature, some easy, pleasant times and some of hardships, dangers and anxiety. The 29^th Iowa had the honor of first being attacked by the / enemy and we repulsed them finely, but the Gen commanding always avoided a general engagement therefore our fighting was all done on the defensive or to clear the road, so that the army would be able to pass along. While we were gone from this place there was one month that we never knew when we stopped to rest, or to cook and eat a meal's victuals, or when we went into camp and laid down to sleep at night, but what we would be attacked by the enemy at any moment. I think I can safely say that it was a month of fighting for we never traveled a whole day after the 2^nd of April without some of our forces being engaged with the enemy and while we were laying over on the road there was one continual skirmish some where along the line. We had some pretty hard fighting to do before we reached Camden which was on the 15^th of April. The lack of provisions and the difficulty to be surmounted in obtaining them rendered our situation a very unpleasant one and it became evident that the want of rations would soon compel us to return to where they could be obtained. Therefore on the 26^th we again took up the line of march but this time it was not to advance, but to retreat. We had already lost two trains and the advance of Gen Banks having been checked on Red river they were enabled by forced marches to bring troops from Shreveport to operate with those that were around us already and they laid their plans to capture our whole force, but in this they were completely fooled but they didnt find it out till they got themselves decently whipped. The place they chose to give us battle was one / in the which they would have been successful in accomplishing their end if they could have repulsed us in the first place but in every engagement with them where the forces were not anywhere near equal we never failed to repulse them. our last fight with them was on 30^th of April It so happened that the 29^th Iowa was the first to receive the enemy on this eventful day They came onto us about six oclock in the morning but we were ready to receive them, we being drawn up in line of battle just where we had spent the night. Soon after we were attacked the 33^rd Iowa and the 50^th Ind. became engaged and one regt after another was brought up and took part in it till it was not long before nearly every regt. was engaged at the same time It was the first general engagement we had ever had with rebel infantry in the open field and we whipped in three successive charges which they made on our lines. the battle ceased about 15 minutes after 12 oclock Our loss was undoubtedly heavy but theirs must have been as heavy if not heavier than ours was I have not heard the official report and the only account that I have seen of it was in the paper printed here at this place and that I know is full of errors. I hope they will be rectified however for unless they are history will give but a very inaccurate account of what that little band of patriots done on that day in the defense of their country The loss in our regt was near 100 men killed and wounded. We lost some of the best men we had in our Co. We deeply feel their loss for they were almost like brothers to us and we sympathize with their bereaved / and afflicted families and friends at home

 

Well friend Gabe you may be a little surprised when I tell you that a portion of us have traveled more than 500 miles since the 23^rd day of March The main army has not traveled so far but some of it has and I am of that number

 

            I think the expedition fell short of what it was intended to accomplish but I dont think it has altogether been a failure and perhaps may be the result of more good than we have any knowledge of but if we could have got provisions to us things would have been different with us and we would have in all probability have driven them instead of them driving us                   But I have written enough for one time &

 

So hoping that I may have the pleasure of hearing from you soon I will close my letter for this time

 

Write soon and oblige your friend

George Campbell

 

Give my respects to your Mother and your Sister also to our old friend Ambrose and to Ezra also if he is in your neighborhood

Signed,            G C.

SOURCES