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Regiment: 3rd Michigan Cavalry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
Camp Fifteen miles south of Oxford
State of Miss
Dec 9
th 1862
Aunt Sophia.
When I received your last letter I was with our regiment on the banks of the
Tallahatchie river, that river that the secesh? said the
[ ? ] Yankees never could cross but
alas for secesh? boasting we have been within ten miles of Grenada and forty miles south
of the Tallahatchie. We left our camp near Grand Junction on the twenty eight day of last
month and we drove the rebels a distance of sixty five miles to a small town call
Coffeevillle on the Miss,
[ ? ] R.R. where we met the enemy in force not less than ten
thousand strong and as we had a force of only two thousand Cavalry and two pieces of
artillery we were forced to fall back but not till we had given the enemy a hard battle in
which their loss greatly exceeded ours.
During the whole eight days we followed them we fought them every day and our
loss in killed wounded and missing will not exceed fifty men while we captured about six
hundred of the enemy to say nothing of their killed and wounded which greatly exceeded
our whole loss. They can’t stand our five shooting rifles. Our company lost two men
wounded but I think they will both recover though one of them was very badly hurt being
shot through the right lung. I had a chance for the first time to shoot at the curses and I
hope I hit them. If I did not it was not because I did not try. Their balls fell around me
like hail but none of them hit me. Excuse this short letter but time presses and I must
close. My health is good and so was that of the folks at home when I last heard from
them. Love to all. Good Bye O. W. Rowland
