*** This is a continuing presentation of Civil War letters written by William A. Smith. The letters are made available through Marion Brimberry. I have attempted to type the letters as true to the grammar and spelling as presented to me. David Thomson *** Camp on Buzzards Creek, Alabama Friday evening, Sept 12th, 1862 My Dear Wife:- I again have the privilege of addressing you. I wrote to you from Town Creek dated 5th, just one month from the time I was there and sent you a paper. We stayed at Town Creek till Sunday morning when we started on the march for Tuscumbia. I bought me a mare seven years old, with a saddle and sabre on her. The 8th Wisconsin had captured her from the rebel cavalry. I got her for eight dollars and sold the saddle for five. Now I have the mare and sabre for three dollars. I think she will suit me very well. I still ride the mule that I took from Mr. Lile. I will ride him till we get to Iuka, when I will have to turn it over to the Quartermaster. When we got to Tuscumbia, I received yours of the 27th ultimo. I was glad to hear from you. We camped about one mile south of Tuscumbia and remained till Monday morning when we got up rather unceremoniously and marched up through town and remained saddled all day. Late in the evening the train of cars came and then our teams and the infantry was set in motion for Iuka. Our Regiment was formed in lines across the principle streets at the outskirts of the town, where we remained while the cars was being loaded with commissary stores and cotton, and about midnight the cars left and we formed in column and rode out of Tuscumbia, one of the best towns of northern Alabama. While the cars was being loaded, some one set fire to a carriage shed and the officers set the men to keep the fire from spreading. There was no other building caught from it. We marched till about 4 o’clock in the morning, when we came to Cane creek and turned in for the night! Tuesday morning we marched to Dixon, ten miles, and stayed till Wednesday morning, when we was ordered back to Cherokee Station. We stayed her till Thursday morning, when four of our companies went on a scout back to Cane Creek by a circuitous route. We got back to camp about two o’clock and found marching orders. At sundown we was out on the road and on the move. We moved a few miles and camped for the night. This morning we again took up the line of march and came about two miles and was ordered to stop here; there is three companies of us here. Companies “L”, “T”, and “M”. I cannot tell you anything about how long we will stay here. We may possibly stay several days, then again we may march in the morning. I can give you no satisfaction in regard to our movements. I know that we will go to Iuka in a very few days and perhaps to Corinth. IT is plain to you that we have gained nothing in this part of the field, since the evacuation of Corinth and even Corinth was not worth the cost of taking. It was an empty haul, unless we could keep possession of the Memphis and Charleston railroad. It is now raining here. I saw Eli W. Jones and John Gaut at Tuscumbia. They are both well. Their Regiment has gone towards Corinth. There is a lot of Alabamians joined the 26th Illinois. William Arnold found one that he was raised with. He says that one of the Gauts brothers is in the southern army, but that none of William Arnolds are. You sent me plenty of paper and envelopes, but I need more envelopes than paper for now I draw paper, but not stamps. I draw paper and plain envelopes from headquarters. I will need some stamps after awhile, then you can send them in a letter. Corinth Mississippi September 22nd, 1862 Sure enough at dark the evening of the 12th, we was ordered to march and about 9 o’clock we started and marched to Iuka, where we turned in about 1 o ’clock in the morning. Saturday morning about 9 o’clock, the enemy made an attack on the place and our Regiment was called out. I had gone to water, so that I did not get out with the Company and helped load up the waggons. Our Cavalry attacked the enemy and was repulsed with a loss of eight men and two Lieutenants of Company “H” taken prisoner and Captain Janeson of Company “M” wounded in the head and Sergt. Bucannon mortally and John B. Chandler slightly wounded. During the night our teams and the 8th Wisconsin Regiment moved out towards Corinth, leaving us as a rear guard. Sunday morning the enemy commenced firing upon us about sunrise. We kept them back and retreated to the west side of the town, where we formed in line and awaited to give them one farewell round, but they did not come, so we moved off, but they soon commenced firing upon our rear, which they continued to do for about six miles, our rear guard firing at them now and then. At about five o’clock in the evening we got to Corinth and Monday morning we again started for Iuka. At Burnsville we found the rebels and chased them out and camped there till Tuesday morning. Here the rebels fired on our pickets occasionally. Tuesday morning we moved forwards towards Iuka and just outside of the pickets, the enemy fired upon us. We returned the fire and followed up the rebels with almost continual firing till within about two miles of Iuka, when they began to get too strong for us to proceed without coming to a general engagement. We was then formed in some low ground and the artillery was placed in position in our rear, and threw shells over our heads and among the timber where the enemy was. They soon fled and we was ordered to charge. We charged forward some distance and halted in line. Soon we moved forward to within three fourths of a mile of Iuka, when skirmishing commenced. Our lines got to a favorable position and stood for some time, firing some little, till the enemy began to advance in force, when we again fell back to the artillery, when they again shelled then back and we again charged after them. Then dark came on and we fell back to Burnsville about eleven o’clock at night. During the night it rained considerable. Wednesday it rained all day and our Company went out on a scout to where the rebels had burned a train of cars the day before. Thursday morning we went on a scout for some saw mills, but saw no rebels. Troops are pouring into Burnsville by the thousand. In the evening we started to Iuka about five o’clock. Soon found the enemy pickets, skirmished with them till after dark. We then formed in line of battle and had some firing through the night. Friday morning Captain McDonald was sent with a flag of truce to the enemy, demanding surrender. They refused. In the evening we moved forward about one mile and camped for the night. Late in the evening the right wing of our army under Rosencrans engaged the enemy under price and Little, on the Bay Spring road, about two and half miles from Iuka. The fight was a most desperate one and darkness only put a stop to the carnage. The dead are nearly equal on both sides as far as I can learn, but the wounded of the enemy greatly exceeds our wounded, owing to the situation of the ground, our men being on rather high ground, while the enemy was in low ground among thick woods. I went to the battle field while the lead was yet on the field and the sight was most sickening. During the night Price withdrew his forces, leaving his dead and wounded on the field. Rosencrans immediately followed and is now dogging after Price, capturing large numbers of his men. Among the killed of the enemy is General Little, one of the best Generals. In the evening we returned to Burnsville. There our Regiment was divided and now two companies are at Iuka, two at Burnsville and the rest at Jacinto, 9 miles west of Burnsville. Today I ran down here on the cars to get to write to you and get a clean shirt and see John Bell. He is doing very well. He will be able for duty in a little while, but will carry a piece of lead as long as he lives. We think we will have another fight with the rebels in this vicinity. They would like to again have possession of Corinth. I have wrote you two little letters lately and yesterday I wrote to mother and sent you a note. Allen Clow is doing well. Hoping to hear from you soon, I bid you Good bye, William A. Smith To Mrs. Mary Smith

*** This is a continuing presentation of Civil War letters written by William A. Smith. The letters are made available through Marion Brimberry. I have attempted to type the letters as true to the grammar and spelling as presented to me. David Thomson *** Burnsville, Mississippi Wednesday night, Sept. 17th, 1862 My Dear Wife:- You will have to excuse me for my seeming neglect, for it has been impossible for me to address you since the 5th inst. I commenced to write to you about the 12th and wrote considerable intended to finish it and send it to you the next morning, but we was called to march and now my letter is in my box with the books, but I don’t know when I shall see it and it will be longer before you see it. We are really into war now. We have been fighting, retreating, advancing and fighting for several days. Last Saturday we was attacked at Iuka and repulsed the enemy. John Bell was slightly wounded in the shoulder, William Arnold touched in the foot, Sergt. Bucannon mortally wounded and died yesterday. Yesterday we fought the enemy about six miles, till dark, then again fell back here after night. I expect we will have a battle tomorrow or the next day between here and Iuka, how it will end, God only knows. If I have the privilege of getting through it, I will then give you some of the details of our march and countermarch for the last few days and nights. As John Bell is with the wagons I hope he has had a letter wrote home before now. We lost but few men yesterday, none in our Company. We went to a house today and found a dead rebel killed yesterday. We are being heavily reinforced here from Corinth, Jackson and Bolivar. I think we will have rather a warm time of it and possibly this is my last letter to you. I hope not however. Those men that were discharged were W.M.Sergt. Frederick Triebel, G.W. Haley and Thomas C. Hadley. I expect Triebel has visited you before now, if not you may expect him soon, as he told me he would see you, and he wrote a line telling me he left the carpet sack and that he would go and see you soon. I have received quite a lot of letters lately which I have not answered, but will as soon as I get time to sit down a moment. In the meantime I hope they will all continue to write to me. The note from mother I was glad to receive. If I am permitted to get through this matter now pending, I will write to her. I now bid you Good night. William A. Smith

*** This is a continuing presentation of Civil War letters written by William A. Smith. The letters are made available through Marion Brimberry. I have attempted to type the letters as true to the grammar and spelling as presented to me. David Thomson *** Corinth Mississippi Saturday morning, Oct 18th, 1862 I wrote a note in Nancy’s letter telling you that I would write to you that night, but I had to write away at the books till late, so that I could not write to you. I will try to write to you tomorrow in answer to yours of the 9th. Our Company moved yesterday to Rienzi. My mare had got loose and I stayed here to look for her. I can’t find her. I will start to the Company as soon as the mail gets in (at 10 o’clock) so that I can take it down. It may bring me another letter from you, I hope it will. I received this letter from Mrs. Ballard yesterday morning and have answered it. You will perhaps get my letter that I will wrote tomorrow before you get this note, as it will be Saturday before hers gets to the office and if nothing happens, you will get mine Thursday or Friday evening. My health is good. Weight 154 pounds. How much do you weigh. William A. Smith