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Regiment: 3rd Michigan Cavalry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
Camp half mile from Jackson Tennessee
March 25th 1863
Dear kind friends here am I
so far from your world most sick
[ ? ] it has been raining two days
but tis pleasant to day do you he
lieve it I hone lieved in a tent
part of our company went out on
a ten days scout day before yester
day the Lt Col escused Phile from
going without his asking him will
Lorah I dont know about liking
camp life I think I had rather sett
le down at home we have evey
thing to eat can buy can’d fruits
and pickles and I had send down
some dried fruit which comes first
rate we devided up the apples arou
amongst a number they seemed to
relish them hugely Im sitting in
the dining room and am some
apart of mice for there is one which
[ ? ] me for I jump on a
[ ? ]
Philo dont seem to have mush time
to see me or write but Im going to
try to get him to write to John and
Elder Errett do you sit right down
as soon as you get this and write
a long letter to Phile telling us or him
if Im not here how John is and what
is being done for him I tell you they
look for letters answersly here and have
but little time to write if they do the
duty I suppose you would like to know
of the journey eny will I dont like rail
roady you know but we took sleeping cars
two nights to git to Cairo which is a
nasty place must I dust I the rest
[ ? ]
we got on a boat in a very short time
and slept on board didnt start out
untill nearly noon of the next day
I would liked to have some woman as
[ ? ] as
[ ? ] with me we
would have dreamed on the upper deck
all the way down but as it was
I could hardly get any one to look out
at Columbus Island no 10 fort
fillow what doughheads there is in
the world it is very tiresome and inter
estery to hear the officers tell thier going
on perhaps I will try and remember
some of them to tell you but I have
no
[ ? ] nor feel to take any
interest in any thing on earth or in
Heaven its all
[ ? ] a middle the Lord
has fooled the poor negroes to think they
will be happy + free but they are let
[ ? ]
here + killed and evey thing one got one
nearly dying now he is in such
quarters that I can do nothing it I
felt able on some boards will some
blankets of
[ ? ] on the ground in
a small tent there is no hospital
for them he is blestered
[ ? ]
and will die after all well if he goes
to a warm place and has one friend
if tis the devel he will be well off
for tis what Human nature needs
a friend indeed somebody that wont lie
nor work your hope with false promises
Ive got a sore thoat and would feel
down sisk if I had a place to be
sick in I will
[ ? ] a place for
[ ? ]
to write if he has time write to him
Therese Cutler
Good day brother John + Sister Sarah
Therese has left a place for me to write
to you. I am well and tough as a brick and it is
the first time we have had a resting spell since
we left St Louis but we are not idle here by any-
-means when we are not on a scout we have
to get up at 5 o,clock and attend to 18 calls a day we have
built Barns for all of our horses since were been here
and ditched the land and cleared our camp grounds up
very nice, our Regimental head Quarters hase been since Jany
the 20th and our companies do scouting east, west, north and south
from one mile to 75, which makes us very buisy most of the
time. I am not in Co. D, now. I am in Co K. in command at
present Capt Newell was wounded and and gone to mich I dont
know how long I will be in Co. K., untill Capt Newell returns I suppose
Capt Latimer of Co E, was wounded at
[ ? ] and I had
comand of E a spell, also of, M, D, + H which has made
my residence of not a very permanent character it is not
very pleasant to me to be shifting about. Ill assure you
but orders from superiors must and shall be obeyed our Iowa
boys are all very well. I have not seen Ray since last spring
but have been looking for such other and crossed each others
tracks very often but did not meet one day last week
Ray was on the cars passing through Jackson to Memphis he sent me
a line but dident get to see each other, he is Clerk in the adgts
office the last I knew of him. You will hear of Vicksburgh being taken a
great many times before it will be so, the geurillas tore up our road
between here and Memphis last week, but it was soon
[ ? ]
P D Cutler
John Therese says your leg troubles you very much
well I am sory it is so but one thing try and do, that is,
make the best of you bodily misfortunes, and I think you will
be the better by doing so, I have been sick a number of
times in my life, and once away from home
where I expected I should certainly die, but I saw
arround me others that were so much worse off
in worldly circumstances and in pain + misery, and dying
away from friends, that I allways thank God that I was no
worse, give my love and good wishes to all my old
neighbours, and Friends. I cant tell when I shall
get back any better than you can. You probably
can hear by papers, what weare doing and get the
details as soon as some of us do that are actualy
engaged in any movements (if they are no exactly
correct) John as for a Military life for me, I
would not be in the service in times of Peace for
I ever saw in Dixie, because it certainly
[ ? ] one
of their manhood + freedom. I long for a day of earnest
peace providing it is honorable, but when I hear of
our northern Copperheaded traitors and union destroyers
I feel as though I wanted to enlist for five years more
and comence a war of extermination and drop the heaviest
blows at the north and the soonest John you cannot
Immagin the revengefull feelings that our soldiers
have against home tratiors + Rebel sympathiser our enemy
that we are fighting here, that lay concealed behind com
-cribs and skulking in the bushes and shooting our Soldiers
down while guarding their own rebels property and proveing false
guides and violating their oaths, in nearly all cases,
we can see where such have an excuse but as for
any reasons for our norther traitors to try and
destroy the best Government that ever existed is
more than the army in the field will or can stand.
John I dont know how you all feel about it at
home, but I hear many of our Soldiers say they would
sooner shoot a copperhead than a read rebel at the South
I can hear them say everyday that they would like
to go home and clean out treason first. We are in
west Tenn it is a frist rate Country for Cotton +
Corn, mostly all cleared up with good buildings
and plenty of Contrabands. Some of their land has yeilded
$300 worth of Cotton from an acre. I have seen six-
-hundred acres in a field. Cotton is 70 cts corn 50 cts
oats 8/ Potatoes 16/ eggs 2/ Butter 4/ wool 8/
horses + mules from $100 to $250 each no hay in this
country write to me soon as you can
adress Lieut P.D. Cutler Co A 3rd Regt Mich Cavly
Cairo
