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Regiment: 3rd Michigan Cavalry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman
June 9 1864
Little Rock Arkansas
Dear cousin i received your letter
may 25 we was glad to here that
you was all well but i was sorry
to heare of georges missfortune
i heard he was wounded in the
shoulder but not bery bad i am
glad if he is not any worse than
what we heare miss clay wrote
us the news she said corwin was
wounded and taken prissioner that
is bad your letter found us in good
health i hope thise few lines may
find you and your family enoying
the same good blessing we are here
in little we dont have any thing to
do in the shape of fighting nor i dont
believe we will much of it to do here
i wish gorge had come with us we love
not got our horses yet i dont much
believe we will be mounted if they
got richmond we will not get eny
We get good news from there
the latest news had grant was
within three miles of ther and was
pressing forward they all
say he will have the place by
the 4 day of July i hope he will
it will be the the death blow
to the war they can not hold
out much longer general Sherman
is doing firstrate and they are
comeing in to one army all the
time they are ragged and beare
footed and starving they can
not hold out long we here that
your news is that that they
whip us all the time but it is
a misstake we are gaining on them
all the time i think this faul
we will be home i hope that we
may all be home for good there
talk of our going back to mem
phis i hope we will that is a
Nice place to what this is
we have green pees and beets and
all most every thing but we cannot
any green stuff for we have not got
any pay yet nor dont no when
we will have we got word that
we was going 50 miles back to a
place called dovels bluff this morning
at times we have very warm weather
here but very coll nights there is
good many of our regiment sick
but John and i have stood it first
rate so far and think we will health
is he main things here Jane when
you get this you must tell our folks
athat you got a letter from us maby
it will please them we write a great
letters to them they dont get them
half i no they do not got through
bye some means but we will keep
writeing we care not do any more
tell an andMercy keep up good
[ ? ] an you must to i think
That we will come out rite
we request all your prayer
that we may meete you all
again and that we can praise
our heavenly father all to gether again
+ that our nation may be joined
in unity again and let this awful
war be done away and let us live
in peace once more i think i
shall be out his any way they
say all enlisted when i did will
be discharged this faul but we think
that we shall not have much
longer to stay any of us i hope so
Jane give our respects to all
enquireing friends write again to
us if you can and tell us all
the news you get we like to heare
from all we will now begin to
close tell how your crops look
ther no more this time from your friends
[ ? ] John Clay Yours
[On Envelope:]
Mrs George Phelps
Dansville Ingham Co
Michigan