Click here for this soldier’s biography:
https://micivilwar.com/authors/potter-charles-h/
Regiment: 2nd Michigan Cavalry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: Washington L. Elliott
Hd Qrs M. V. C. Near Boonville
Miss. June 10th 1862
Dear Father
It has been a long
time since I received your
last letter and augut to
have answered it before but
could not on account of our
not being in our own Camp
for a long while. we are now
camped 22miles south of
Corinth and 1 ½ from Boonville
our baggage got here yesterday
so now it will try and write
a few lines to let you know
how my health is & the rest of
the boys, my health is very
good at presant the rest of the
boys are well Chan has got and
one of Job’s comforters so thick he
cant ride now. we are all
well and in good spirits our
Camp is in the woods now
but there is no water to
get hardly in two weeks it
will be impossible to get water
for our horses. I don’t believe
there is a secesh within 20
miles of us. they wont fight
and we have drove them
clear out of our reach & I dont
think we can go much farther
on account of getting provisions
we have to draw our grub
from Hamburg Landing which
is between 50 & 60 miles. it is
an awful dry time hot days
and cold nights is the way
that it works.
Tell Frank H. that we have
been in several skirmishes
since we landed on Tennessee
soil H. Hemstead horse was
killed by a cannon ball &
Gabe Smiths horse wounded &
Put Marshes shot in the foot
the rest all right & in fighting
condition what is left of us.
Gen Elliotte dident give our
Regiment as much praise as
he aught to about that trip
around to Boonville at the
time of the evacuation of Corinth
the Michigan Boys done as much
as the Iowa 2
nd we traveled
four days & nights on three
days rations to burn a bridge
& a train of cars & tear up
the rail road track and we
done the job up right to
when we got back to camp
they were surprised to see us
supposing we were all prisnors
they had given us up as lost
but we came out all right
well then I shall have to
stop writing now the order
just came for six men armed
and equiped to go on a
long ride I will finish
when I get back.
My ride was shorter than
I expected. I will try and
finish this morning. the
most of the Mississippi people
done their Harvesting last
month. I past by a number
of what fields that were
Harvested. Corn is over 2 feet
hight & look good. there is not
much news at present only we
git a few of them butter nut
chaps evry time we go out. the
talk is now that we are going
to Richmond popes division.
I saw over 2,000 sick soldiers at
Boonville the first day we was then
some was dead they were in the
woods & on the R. R. track Good Bye C. Potter
