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Regiment: 4th Michigan Calvary
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
1st Brigade 2d Cavalry Div
July 26, 1863. Salem Tenn
My dear Brother
By the enclosed $250 you
will see that the Paymaster has been
making us his welcome visit. Please
credit it on my side of the ledges and
let me known whether it reaches you
safely. If you don’t get it, be Irish enough
to write at once. By the
heading above you will see that we
have dropped back a little. We are now
about 35 miles North of Huntsville where
we have been for 4 or 5 days. I wrote
you from Huntsville on the 16
th I think.
I have received all of yours. The
last was dated the 12
th I wrote you
on the 28
th ult and 4
th inst which you
had not yet received. We have been
doing very little for a few days except
settling up accounts and making ready for
a new start. We are under orders to be
ready to move at a moments notice but
that is our chronic condition. We hope
that we are not going to lie idle long as
we think there never was as good a time to
trike hard and quick. The heavier blows
the rebels get now the better it will be for
us. What the movements are to be with
this part of the Army you know as well as
I. I hope it may soon be all over as
I want to get home at least in time to at-
tend your wedding. Speaking of weddings re-
minds me that I made a call on a young
lady yesterday for the first time in Dixie.
I was out alone looking after the pickets &c
when I came to a handsome brick house
some distance from the road. I stopped
there to enquire something about the country
and found that I had passed a mile
and a half outside of our pickets also
that in the house resided a widow la-
dy and two grown up daughters. The girls
were rather good looking and appeared to
be educated & accomplished They in-
vited me in and passed a pleasant
two hours. They were good secessionists
of course. I shall try to improve the ac-
quaintance though I may be “jobbled up”
by so doing. You at least cannot
criticize me much for so doing in
your present frame of mind.
Tell Mother I received hers sent
by Adjt Miller. I will write her
very soon, though I manage now to keep
you both pretty well posted as to my
movements. I am happy to in-
form you that at length our wagons have
reached us and that we rejoice in the
possession of clean clothes. I cannot write
more now. Porter will tell you all
about us. Send me by him a
couple of good large flannel shirts. They
shrink so by washing that they cannot be
worn more than a half dozen times. My
present over will hardly button over my
chest.
Your affec brother
R. B.
If you can loan this money or pay
any of my debts do so. If you want to
use it yourself never fear.
Send me by Porter a pair of
boots, heavy ones, such as I usually wear
in winter. Have them made larger than
your foot so that they will be perfect-
ly easy for me. A boot in the least
[ ? ] can not be worn here
[On Envelope:]
From R. B. July 31, 1863
July 26
J.D. Burns
Kal’zoo
