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Regiment: 18th Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: Quincy A. Gillmore
Lancaster KY Sunday Mar 29/63
Dear Hattie
you will See by this that
I am yet alive & I can add well but
it is a wonder I am well for we have done
Some tall work in the way of Marches at all
hours of the Day & Night for the past week
I wrote you a letter last Sunday and one
Wednesday giving you Same accounts of our
encounter with the Rebs & promising to give a
more detailed account of it but I dont want to
do it now for I am totally ashamed of the whole
affair it turns out the Rebs had not
more than three or four thousand men and
we wer made to turn tail to and fall back
before that little handful of men when there
was realy no need of it for we had force
Sufficient to have Sent them back to Tena see
or some other place in a hurry had they
been used to a good advantage but it
was no fault of the men in the Reg nor realy
of the Oficers of the Reg generaly for they wer
all ready willing and anxious to make a
stand instead of falling back all the blame
Seems to be lain on Gen Gillmore
our Lieut Colonel & Adjutant came near
being taken at Danville while we wer on
the retreet the went to call in the Picket
and got cut off from the Reg they got back
to the Reg the Second Day after but had
a good many narrow escapes and traveled
over a good deel of country before getting to us
the last letter I wrote you was at camp
Scott the next morning before Day light we
wer up and on the rode to Nicholasville Still
father from the rebs got there about 10 oclock
8 miles from KY river Pitched tents in the
afternoon comenced raining in the evening
hard at 1 in the morn wer called up
to Strike tents it was no fool of a job I
can assure you to get the Boys up when it
was raining as hard as it could consissiantly
but it had to be done Marched about 18
miles it rained until noon but it was Some
cold Stayed out all night without tents up
at 3 and Started for this place 9 miles from
where we Stayed last night (camp Dick Robison) we
got here about Sun rise lay in a field until
near noon then Picked our tents & here we are
but while I am writing word comes from
Head qts that we are to march at 5 in the
morn for Stanford where we wer last Sunday
and all I can See that we have made
in the 8 days is to march nearly
100 miles take from 1 to 200 prisoners &
a few poor horses while the Rebs have taken
lots of horses comssary & quartermasters
Stores Burned 4 or 5 Valuable Bridges and
doing considerable mischief generaly
if this is a Sample of the way the war
is carried on I think it will be Settled
within 25 years if it is at all which I begin
to think is a little doubtful but I still have
a little hope I have not heard from you
since the Day before I left Lexington 19th
but expect to get 2 or 3 Soon
20 Reb prisoners have just passed that wer
taken at Crab Orchard beyond Stanford this
morn I cannot write much this time
for I have not the time as I have to Draw
rations agan this afternoon and have a
good deel else to do I cant Spend time this
evening for I must to bed early to make
up last time I have heard noting of the
19
th Reg yet have you I hear that quite a
number of troops are to be with us in a
few days for the Potomac amongst them is
the 2, 8 & 17 Mich which wer in Louisville
yesterday if they get to us I shall See
Some old acquaintances I hope they may
I must close for this time although it
is Shorter letter than usual for they are
calling for me write as Soon as you
can I shal get the letters Some time and
the later news I get in them the better
give my respects to Cory & family
tell him I have not forgotten him
with Love to you I am your afectionate
Husband
S.R. Norton
Co. B 18 Mich, V, I
Lexington
KY
