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Regiment: 1st Michigan Light Artillery
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: Ambrose E. Burnside
Glasgow KY
July 24” 1863
Dear Hattie
Yesterday I recd
your letter of the 18
th directed
to me at Bowling Green.
You have doubtless recd my
letter informing you of my
removal to this place. Cant
say that I am very well pleas
ed with the change although
it has some advantages over
the other place. I think that
it is healthier and the quaters
is excelent whilst there it was
very poor. But it is off from
the Rail Road and therefore
seems as though it were out
of the world.
It is thought to be a place of
much importance in a military
point of view. it brin us our
of the main thoroughfares between
Louisville and the Tennessee
country and also the buss and
Head Qrs of the 9
th Division of
the 23
rd Army Corps.
Many changes are being made
with the troops. I have been in
command of all the Artillery
at Fort Bugle
[ ? ] cuningham
and I understand tonight that
every thing pertaining to the Fort
and fortifications together with
the force to garrison it is to
be part under my command
tomorrow. Gen Burnsider
Chief Engineer is here and has
requested me to meet him in
he morning at 7 o’clock (rather
an early hour by the by for me to
be up) and I
[ ? ] it is for the
purpose of putting me in command
I had rather go into the field
but so long as I am kept here
am ready to do that which will
be of the greatest benefit to m
[ ? ]
Samuel.
Since I wrote you last have
been to Bowling Green and saw
Lieut. Andrews (he has still got the
force
[ ? ] and any neck still
[ ? ]) who appears
quite contented and wholly indif-
ferent whether the battery ever gets
together or not.
From there went to Munfordsviles
and staid over night with Capt
Hale. He Is on the contrary quite
anxious to be united and go into
active service in the field.
But he lacks the confidence and
[ ? ] to go ahead
and talk to those Generals and
red tape officials and tell them
just what he wants and what
he is
bound too leave. That is
what is needed and so
[ ? ]
as he goes to them and says (
please do so and so and you
will greatly oblige me) just so
[ ? ] they will put him off
with promises that they never
intend to fulfill.
I have talked and talked till
it is useless to say
[ ? ]
until I am quite out of
[ ? ]
and considerably “
Mad” and
now am going to let the Captain
work out his own salvation and
I will “paddle my own canne”
till he goes to work no earnings
and gets the Battery together then
I am ready to work for the
interests of that organizations
I don’t think that you can
consistently preach to me of being
so careless and regardless of
[ ? ]
when you are according to your
own accounts persistently
trying to break your own neck
not satisfied with being thrown
from a carriage and seriously
injuring yourself. You must put
yourself on the top of some kind
of a cobhouse and try to pick
fruit from the top of a tree and
the c
[ ? ] is that “pride
must have a fall” so down you
vent and got badly hurt.
Now it you dont stop being so very
useless I shall buy that horse
of Lt. Andrews and try and get
my neck broken first to keep
in company.
I am boarding with a family
that are rather inclined to be
[ ? ] but we get along very
quietly as the subject is seldom
[ ? ]. They belong to the
Aristocracy of Kentucky. Own
a large number of slaves. besides
two daughters one of whom is
a young widow; her husband
was killed in the
[ ? ] Army
She is the only one of the
family that I am afaid of
and would not be of her but the saying is that
Young widows
are very dangerous.
I attended an austion sale of
negrars in this town last week
there was nothing so very horrible
about it as Mrs. Stowe M
[ ? ]
Phillips and al the abolitionists
try to make the good people believe
on the contrary everything
[ ? ]
of quietly. The negroes butts males
and female seemed to
[ ? ] it
and where there were familiar
to be sold thru purchasing
would buy them all that so
the man that first bought one
would always but the ballmen
of the family. I had a notion
to buy a bright little boy that I
saw sold for 200 dollars and
send to you so that you would
have some one to pick cherries for you.
The weather is very warm now
and of course just suits me.
Lt. Holbrook and Brown still
belong to the battery and I guess
there is but little prospect of their
being transferred very soon.
Are you not afraid that
when Morgan will pay Cold
[ ? ]
tis a visit. He has taken quite
a northern tour and it does
seem that this number of troops
that are after him ought to
capture him soon.
Hoping that if he does come that
he will not
[ ? ] you off I will
bid you good night, sending love
of Byron
