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Regiment: 22nd Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
Head Quarters 22nd Michigan Infantry
Stamford Kentucky April 5th, 1863
Dear Wife
I received your kind and affinate letter this morning and was very glad to hear from you and little Abby Ware both well witch I am hapy to inform it leaves mee at present I was a getting uneasey about you for I have not heard from you for some time I have wrote two letters to Walter and have not Received no answer from them yet I think hee ought to write to me Wee have had a very hard march they hardest time I ever saw wee left Lexington in they night of the 21
st of March for Danville Wee marched all night and arived at they Kentucky River at day light inn they morning of the 22
nd twenty miles from Lexington Wee rested a few howers and marched to Danville making in all 36 miles We sleep one night in a Church they day wee went out and picked our tents as if wee were a going to stay theare a year it comest Raining and we received orders to sleep in our arms and Bee Ready to turn out at minutes notice Bue for a wonder wee was alowed to sleep until morning But one Regiment that was incamped close by ours had packed up there tents and left in they night all in they rain and gone to guard they Bridge over Wicks River They next day about ten oclock orders came to strike our tents and pack up every thing and load them on they waggons Wee ware then Drawn up in line of Battle They Rebbels was advancing in us All the waggons Ware headed towards they Kentucky River Wee soon heard skirmishing in our front By they Cavalry and Artillery When they news came to us that they Rebbels Ware Serounding us both sides General Carter then ordered us to fall Back for he Said they Brigers Ware after our train of provisions waggons they ware just attacting they waggons as we came up to them They fired into Our Regiment Several times but when wee opened upon them they Soon Scatered Our Artilery fired upon them they Ware all around us they was all mounted so Consequently they cold go faster than wee cold Wee was Afraid they would get a head of us and burn they Brige over they Kentucky River if they had suceeding doing it wee could have not our suplies from Lexington Wee marched all nighrt in they rain and mud untill wee cross they river They did not to they Bridge if they had they would have proberly not all left We fell back to Nichosville Wee theare got Rainfoursements and Started after them again Wee started in they night again and it was Raining as usel Wee march night and Sundays as they old Saying is We marches generaly on Sundays last Sunday wee marched from Camp Dick Robesen to Lancater an Monday wee marched from Lancaster to Craborchard and Tuesday wee marched from Craborchard to Buck Crick in rout to Sumerset ware they Cavery and Mounted Infantrey and Artilery had a fight and whiped they Rebbls and took two hundred and eight prisoners from they an four hundred head of Cattle that they had store from they inhabetaion They Coper heads had ought to have to live with there Butternut Frends I saw they Dirty Rakels they Captured some of them would bee smart looking men if they are ingaged in a Better Cause But they Dirty and lousey and look as if they had not had enuf to eat for sometime past. They said they came into Kentucky in purpos to Steel horses and cattle and said it was no worse to steel horses than nigers Our foursis Captured about three hundred of them and drove them acros they Cumberland River and killed sixty of them So they did not muc out of thare Raid this time They woulnded two in our Regiment One from Company A and one from Company B These theare names Ware William Hodkins Oxford and Sergent Jennens from Romeo was wounded in they head But not Severly William Hodkins was shot through they leg Just Below they knee Hee was sent to Lexington So I vae not seen him Since George Was. Is well and Sends his Respects to you all Frank Bickford and James Briggs and ID Goodrich are all and Sends his Respects to Mr and Mrs Glaspie After they Battle at Somerset Wee had to come back for it so far from they Railroad and they Roads are so hiley in they Mountains it would take so maney Teems to get provisions to us that it Better to come Back to a more Convenant place Stanford is a small place just in they edge of they mountains They mountains is very hight now John You must Tell Jake Shook that if he was to have his Butternut friends come to viset him as often as they visit they people in Kentucky hee would not think so much of them They go to folks stables and take thare horses and cattle and go into they houses and take they cloth from they bed thare are lots of famleys that have not bed clothing enuf left to keep him warm What would they Coper heads think if they men Came and take all thare horses and cattle and then take thare beding and all thare children have to eat I would not have believe it if I had
