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Camp near Chattanooga
October 2d 1863
Mr Bryce Wilson
Russellville
Ala.
Dear Father
I wrote a long letter to
Mother a few days Since but not having implicit reliance in
the carrier will write the same letter to you.
I received y [missing section] brother James’s letters by Mr. Sugg
& was ver [missing section] hear that you were all well & getting along
quietly I was [missing section] ery glad to hear that you were at last
rid o[f] Hannan’s Cavalry Regiment and hope that you
[w]ill not again be troubled. If I were in your place
I would as soon as corn was ripe enough to be gathered Select
and store away in Smoke house or other second places an comple[te]
supply for breadstuff. Even if you should have to build another
[s]mall barn in your yard I think it would be Safer, but if you
[missing section] adopt this plan, leave no crack through which corn can be
[se]en You must no[w] be convinced that our own Cavalry
are very nearly as [mean ?] as the Yankees and equally as destructive
[missing section] far as is in their power. It is an arm of the Service that I
[ha]ve always despised and [dreaded ?] because of their depredations
I think that every Regiment Should have at least one “Regular”
officer over it.
You will probably have heard before this reaches you of the battle
of Chicamauga fought on the 19th & 2oth inst. & possibly
may have seen in the Moulton Democrat a list of our
Killed & Wounded. The list in that paper is incomplete
many were wounded slightly whose names were not reported
in Killed & Wounded, including Slight wounds, our loss was
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285. The fight was opened on the 19th inst. by Maj Genls
Walker, Cheatham, Breckenridge & Brig Gen Liddell Commd’g Division
Rosencrans attacked our forces while forming line of battle on
Saturday morning but was driven steadily until we had forced
him across Chicamauga Creek. there he made a stand for a
few hours until flanked by Liddell’s Division & forced to abandon
the field. They retreated 3/4 ths of a mile and held a very strong
position. Gens Watkins and Lidells Division re[pea]tedly charged and
drove them each time over half a mile br [missing section] often driven
back in this way this part of the field was [missing section] on three times
and at sunset the Enemy held the origi[nal] battle ground.
While this was going on Cleburnes D[i]vision (ours) was marched
from the left, where we had been resting to the relief of Li[dde]ll
and at sunset were in front of the Enemy about 15 minutes before
dusk were ordered forward to dislodge him from the position for
which we had been fighting all day. Our Skirmishers in a f[ew]
minutes were firing upon their line of battle and in 15 minutes [of ?]
the time we started forward we were upon them & over their [missing section]
line of fortifications. Our right was literally mixed up with [mising section]
and many were so surprised that they forgot to [aim?]. O [missing section]
of them had only chinked fence between our line & their [missing section]
and some of them were waching through the cracks & p [missing section]
at our men, begging them not to kill them. We took 40 prisoners
at this place & had just started forward when the 45th Ala on
our right gave way and Maj McGaughy intending to keep on
a line with them gave the command to march in retreat,
instead of marching away in an orderly manner two
Companies [9 & 8 ?] in our right wing ran disgracefully from the
field and Among great confusion in the remainder of our
Regiment. About 100 of our men rallied & went forward
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When we again drove them before us without trouble and in
half an hour from the time that we Commenced firing
had possion of the of the field. In this fight we lost about
60 men. They had only slight fortifications to protect
them from sm[all] arms and stopped [missing section] acks in fences
and built up rock [illegible] behind trees, every man for himself
After the fighting ceased we advanced about 400 yards
and encamped in line of battle, an hour before
daylight next morning we were up and under arms &
remained in position until 9 oclock when we were
again ordered forward. We marched 1/4 of a mile to
the front when coming under a heavy fire of grape
and canister we were ordered to lie down, again in
a few mi [missing section] we were ordered forward an [mising section]
marching [missing section] rds were again ordered to lie [missing section]
[missing section] small [missing section] ng which afforded but little protection [missing section]
[misssing section] ad [missing section] nd us a hail of Shell, grapes [missing section]
[missing section] ot after [missing section] [ravine ?] half an hour were aga [missing section]
forward. We [missing section] ed about three hundred yards
and came to a [missing section] about 200 yards across, the 1st 100 yards
had a small in [missing section] the over it, & a few rotten pine Stumps
and logs. the remaining 100 yards was an open field covered
with broom straw. We advanced through the brushes and were
just emerging from the brushes into the open field when the command
Charge was given; almost at the same moment the enemy
opened a fire of Small arms, Shot, Shell & Cannister So well
directed that it compelled our Regiment to seek protection
in the bushes; they were ordered to lie down, but having no
protection were killed by the dozen. You can probably realize
the Storm that we had to withstand when you know how
we were placed
[rest of letter is missing]
