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Regiment: 3rd Michigan Cavalry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
Camp near Grand Junction
November 11th 1861
Aunt Sophia:
Your long unanswered letter lays heavy on my conscience and I think that I will ease it by
devoting a few leisure moments to writing a few lines in reply to it. The only excuse I have is
that I have been very busy but I do not pretend to say that I might not have found time to write
before but I have been negligent.
Since I last wrote to you I have been around this country considerably and as you wanted me to
tell you what we were doing I will give you a short sketch of where we have been and what we
have been doing. A short time before the battle of Corinth we went out on a scout in the direction
of Ripley. We were out several days but did not meet the enemy but we ascertained that Price
and Van Dorn were advancing on Corinth with their whole force. On our way back we halted at
Kossuth for a couple of days when we were ordered to Corinth. We got there the morning of
the first day of the battle. We went out and reconnoitered the enemys position passing by his left
flank and then returning to town. On the morning of the second day we were early on the field of
battle. We were dismounted and deployed as skirmishers but did not become engaged with the
enemy. We then mounted our horses and once more passed around the enemys left wing and
joined some of Gen Grants forces who were coming up in Prices rear. We marched up to where
the enemy was but he was not there. We passed over the battleground and we saw the dead rebels
laying pretty thick. The next morning we started with the rest of the troops in pursuit of the
rebels but at night we were ordered back and the next day we went out on another road to
[ ? ]
Ripley with the design of intercepting the rebels but we were unsuccessful. We then returned
to Corinth where we stayed sometime but were frequently on “Picket” or on scouting expeditions.
Last Sunday week we started for Grand Junction Tennessee. Since we have been here we been
on two scouts. We drove in the enemys pickets the first time about seven miles and the second
one from which we have just returned took us within four miles of Holly Springs. This was one
of the most daring and dashing Cav. reconnoisances of the whole war. There was about a
thousand Cavalry went within four miles of Prices Head Quarters and within sight of his line of
battle captured about two hundred prisoners of Jacksons Cavalry their horses arms and
equipments killed fifteen of them and never lost a man and only one horse. I think that this is
hard to beat. Our forces consisted of parts four regiments the seventh Kansas the seventh Ills, the
2
nd Ills and 2
nd Iowa. One company of our regiment have been on a scout to Memphis and
back another bold scout for thirty men through fifty miles of the enemys country filled with
Guerrillas. You can judge from this something of what we are constantly doing. I cant begin to
write all about these things but I will tell them to you after the war is ended. My health is first
rate. I think I never felt better.
The folks at home were all well when I last heard from them. Write soon and oblige your
Nephew
O W Rowland
