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Regiment: 3rd Michigan Cavalry
Battles Mentioned: Corinth, Mississippi
Historical Figures: Earl Van Dorn, Sterling Price
Camp South of Corinth
Oct 6th 1862
Dear Wife I have
a few moments to spare & will
be brief in Writing I wrote to
you in my last that we expecte
d to have some fun in a few
hours & we did for I had not got
my letter finished before we were
ordered to mount. We did & in
a short time we were where we
could see & hear them fire
to Price & VanDorn & Lovejoy
Villipiege attacked Corinth
[scissor cut in letter] place called Chewalla a place
15 miles from Corinth where the Fifteenth Michigan Regt
were Edmond & the rest of the boys from Burr Oak were & the Colo
nel of the Regt were reinforced by a Illinois Regt & were ordered
to keep the place until we could get our troops together in
the vicinity of Corinth but the Illinois boys fell back the
first fire the rebels mad & left the 15 alone they fought most
desperately & held their grounds against great odds for six hours
when they were driven back towards Corinth none of the boys from
burr Oak as I know of were killed at least Edmond did not get
hurt for I saw the Regiment last night & they said Edmond
was at corinth Sam Betts Cub & his cousin were not hurt
the loss was great on both sides it is reported but I cant say as it
was not that there is not over Eighty of the regiment left
but my God how the rebels did suffer the first day the rebels followed
up our men within a few miles
of Corinth next day it being Fri
day they came within our lines
took 2 canons but we repulsed
them we took them & they fell back
for the night the loss today was quite
large but nearly 3 to 1 of the rebels fell
to 1 of our men we had been on a scout
for three days & had not taken off
my saddle but I was ordered out
on picket got on the rong road & went
into their lines on picket but they did
not see us or did not shoot it was
about 3 oclock when we got to our posts
& had not been on it more than 1 min
when there was volley of musketry & next
came that almost unearthly din of
canon & continued about an our
[cut away]
the sharp crack of Sharp Shooters but there is some of them that will not
shoot anymore 5 out of the company that was got up at Lawrence so they
were killed say James Bellfer was shot through the heart but he killed a wagon
load of rebels the boys take the loss of him hard he was a brave boy the names
of the rest – I dont know – will write next time but I must haste
about half past nine they began to fire again & the oldest soldiers say
there never was harder fighting the rebels ha to charge across a field or
a slashing about 100 rods & we could rake them with our guns & they coul
d not hurt us much for we had good Brestwork but they charged across
the slash & took one of our forts with a loss that never before was killed
in so short a time & into town they came but our hole force lay in am
bush for them & a large amount of siege guns & artillery & just
as they got fairly in the siege guns sent a volley of grapes & canisters
into them & they broke roun leaving us one of the best victories ever
won so far but we cant tell how long we may crow for Breckon
[cut away] was what Price calculated but failed
[cut away] news came that we must return to
[cut away] the place on the southside
[cut away] a band of rebils scouts
[ ? ] some say 10 thousand & I dont
doubt it much for I passed over the battlefield & on going 20 rods a
man said he counted 140 rebels dead besides the wounded it
was an awful sight I will write next time more
for the horn has sounded & I must go
All of the boys are in good spirits
Yours in hast
until death
M H Hogmire
