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Regiment: 4th Michigan Calvary
Battles Mentioned: Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia
Historical Figures: Albert S. Johnston, George Thomas, James B. McPherson, John M. Schofield, Joseph Hooker, Mortimer D. Leggett
Head-Quarters 1st Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division,
Department of the Cumberland,
Foot of Kennesaw Mt, G’a
June 25th 1864.
My dear Davidson
My time being my own for the
next hour unless “boots and saddles” should sound.
I will again talk to you a little. You are getting
a great deal behind in your correspondence. I have
received nothing from you in five or six weeks
except the paper containing the notice of your
marriage. Here, I, who have been as busy as
possible knocking about the country and nearly
knocking myself up have written you more than
regularly as my letters of May 11
th 14
th 20
th 16
th 30
th June 12
th
14
th 18
th & 23d will testify. I have also sent you several
Southern printed productions. You can not say
that you have been more busy than I, who have
been busily engaged to the best of my ability in
rolling forward towards the gulf of Mexico the tide
of war. Twice a week at least we are in a
fight or skirmish and every day and night, in
deed almost every hour we hear cannonading or
musketry. Even now, 8. A.M. I can hear the pickets fir-
ing on each other. a continual popping has been
kept up for at least 24 hours without five minutes
intermission. The firing we now hear is not direct
ly on our front, but about a mile to the right of
us with McPherson’s infantry. Kennesaw Moun-
tain looms up before us with its crest crowned
with rebel batteries which semi-occasionally
growl forth their discontent at our encroachments. No
sooner do they fire than our artillery which is
on every mound around the mountain opens in
reply and soon silences the rebel talk. Thus
we are entertained day & night. How do you like
the hill of fare?
After writing you on the 23d I rode over
to Big Shanty where saw the wounded boys in the
hospitals. All were doing pretty well. Sherwood’s right
leg had been amputated above the knee. They
were receiving every care and attention. Indeed I was
astonished to see what comforts the wounded men
could have so near a fighting army. Every one
of them had been thoroughly washed and encased
in a clean cotton shirt and drawers. Their cots
had on mattresses filled with straw and covered
with clean sheets. They had excellent bread, meat
and soup to eat. Few of them had been as comfortable
since they entered the service. I had been back
to camp about an hour when we were ordered out
again. Genl Leggett of the 17
th Corps was to make
a reconnoisance and we were to cover his flank.
Out we moved marched a couple of miles and struck
the reb’s An afternoon of skirmishing and maneu-
vering took place. Much powder and ammunition
expended one or two men killed, five or six
killed wounded.
Much hurahing on one side and yelling on the other
much building of rail barricades a little cannon-
ading and the usual incidents of a small re-
connoisance and skirmish. At dark we returned
to camp where we have since remained. Thus
are we entertained every day or two. Lively
times for civilized beings. It is getting to be an
old story now, and we are
gett growing tired of it.
I wish it would end. Our right under
Schofield and Hooker is said to have gone around
the mountains and to be near the Chattahochie
River below Marietta. If that be the care the
Rebels will have to fall back, or attack us where
a general engagement will ensue. I should not
be surprised if Johnston would fight here. Now they are at
it. A brisk cannonading has commenced five or six miles from
us. Boom! boom! boom!! they go at the rate of five a
second. We can not see what is going on, but suppose
that our men have made an attack on the other side of the Moun-
tain. It is getting hotter and heavier and the big battle
may have commenced. If so we will be ordered out in
a short time. Now we can see the shells bursting on the
top of the mountain. It is rather foggy up there so that
we can not see plainly. Our batteries are hard at work
pitching all sorts of missiles. There are four shells burst-
ing together near one spot. I don’t believe you have such
salutes upon the anniversary of your birthday. Five hundred
guns at least have been fired within the last few minutes.
They still keep at it. The officers are sitting around with
field glasses making comments and speculating. There
is a pleasant excitement about it after all.
On the 21
st I went with a small party and a flag of truce to
the field of our fight of the day before to look for our wound-
ed and dead. I brought in four of our dead. Lieut Davis
of the 4
th Regulars went out with another party and brought in four
more. The poor fellows were lying as they fell. Some of them had
been stripped by the rebels. All had their boots taken off. The
road was a horrible one and we were obliged to bring them in
on pack mules. It was very hard but could not be helped. Davis
brought his through the camps but I left mine on the outskirts and
had them brought in in ambulances. Hays of the New York
Tribune was with us at the time and you will see an account
of it in his letters. The rebels had been there before us
and had carried off nearly all theirs. Davis counted seven dead
rebels in one spot. As near as we could learn we had killed
about a hundred of them.
10 A.M. The cannonading still continues but appears to be
farther off and not quite as brisk as twenty minutes ago. It is
again on the other side of the mountain. We cannot see the shells. Genl
Thomas I think is at work. I will close now but keep this until the mail
boy comes and will notify you if any thing new occurs. Give my love to Madge. Are
you keeping house yet? Write me soon. Yours of 15
th May is the last received. Good
bye. Your affectionate brother
Robert
5 P.M. Nothing new. The
cannonading stopped about
12. Don’t know results.
[On Envelope:]
July 6, 1864
June 25
J. Davidson Burns Esq
Kalamazoo
Michigan
