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Regiment: 2nd Michigan Cavalry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: General Smith
Franklin Tenn
March the 26th 1863
Dear Friends
I take this opportunity to send you a fiew lines
to let you know how the world usues us now
I am not berry well yet my helth is not verry good
I have not done anything only Choreing for two weeks
but I think I am geting some better now the weather
is verry fine the Peaches wer in bloom the 20
th of this
month and they ar planting corn now and I think the
woods will be green in ten days more we ar having
grait times with the
[ ? ] they ar all round us they got
round between us and Nashville the night before last
and burnt a bridge and tore up the track so it will be
a week before we will get any mail or anything els our reg
and the 4
th 6
th Ky, and one company of the 8
th ten
was sent out yesterday morning to se to them they had
sharp fight with them the ky. Reg. run and left our
boys to stand the whole of it alone the rebels made two
charges on our Boys but they repulsed them evry time with
grait loss our revolvering rifles told on them with terable
effect they stumbled along there whole line like pidgeons
from a tree when our boys borke there lines the ky. Reg. was
ordered to charge on them but they run from the field and
and there colonel even struck some of them on the head
with his pistole to stop them but could not do it
our loss is in the action is but small they
rebels was considerable more Gen. Smith
estimates there loss at 300 killed wonded
and taken prisner but they took a good many
of our boys that we guarding the bridge belonging
to the 18
th Mich and the 21
st Wis. there is now oly
8 men of the 18
th Mich. left the rebels have got
the whole of them we do not have to go only about
4 or 5 miles to find them any day here in fact it
is continual poping away all the time not a day
passes but someboddy gets killed or hurt it is
quite exaiting times they have took the most
prisners but they have lost for the most killed and
wonded Theodore Carlisle is taken prisner the Reg.
is out fighting with them to day and the report in
camp to night as I write is that they ar all taken
but they do not believe it still it may be so I am
verry ancious about them.
No more at this time J.M.
March the 26th 9 Oclock T. M.
turn to the next sheet
March the 27
th/63
the regiment got in all safe the had a
little fight with them but they did not get
taken by they they had afiew wonded but
no boddy killed they took some of them
prisners the rebs sean to like
to be taken prisners by our men
our campany went on picket today at
roblock in the morning our out pasts and theres
was only a mile a part on the road they country
here is verry somling and we had and have evry
day quite a time with them they would come
on the hills and and look at us and black quard
us they would ball us d-d Yankees and sons
of b-h cowerds and evry thing els they could
think of takening good care to keep out of
range of our rifles there could beat us talking
but not shooting when to many of them come
up then they would send out a party to
drive them back and so it goesal the time this
fighting is the querest thing I ever got at yet
I stood on post all day and in the night
I was put on patrole guard and it was one
of the amfulest nights I ever saw in my
life it thundered and lightned and rained
the hardest I ever saw it in my time you
never have an such storms in mich as
that they heals of thunder was deefning I was in
the saddle from 6 oclock in the evening till
after 3 in the morning most of the time it was
so dark I could not se my horses head only
when it lightned I got lost in the dark and they
thought the rebels had got me but I finley
got back all right but the night of the 27
th
of March 1863 is one that I shall never forget
it posed down in torrents from 6 in the evening till
4 ½ in the morning I never saw so much water
falling one night in my life
March the 28th
we came in of guard at noon the weather
after the thunder is more cool the rebs
did not bother in so much to day they seem
to be falling back the foot here is now a
bout don there is two 34 pounders in besides
a good many other of smaller size they have
got a verry strong work here they commi-
nications is agone open to day and the corn
will be in some time to day
wear all well at present I am geting a
good deal better so I am on duty agane
all the time pleas excuse the pencil
writing
With Love to all I remain
affectionate Nephew
John Wasson
March the 28th
12 oclock M.
