Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-02-12
letter Trom the IO,h Regiment

AnKAssAs POST January 18Th, 1863.
DEAR BnornrRi--I received your lolter last
evening, aud hastcn 10 answer IL. Since we
LEFT yicksb sburg wo have had some rough times
and a great deal OF dissatisfaction ln refer
enco to the VicSsburg ight on Sunday Gcn.
Morgan ordered Col D6Codrcey to tdko the
front aud charge 10 tho Chlcasaw bend I,
which he did, keeping our brigade In front
all day. At night wo had to lay on our arms.
Tho noxt morning VIC wcro under FIRE till o.
clock, when we were relieved for four hours,
at the expcration OF which Con. Morgan or.
dored us to make the fatal charge Tho
boys were promptly in ranks. Col. DcCour'
ccy stood 20 one side and neither said stay
or go. llo said We would be cut TO pieces it
the charge was made, an d his words caino
true. At Gen. MSrgans command We went
forward and after proceeding about ono hun
dred yards the enemy opened on US with in
iantry and forty or fifty pieces OF artillery,
which caused terrible suffering in our ranks.
Our Regiment, the l6th went in with cigh'
teen officers and came out with five, two Of
whom were wounded, Lioutenant's Ross and
Reed.
The 10th Regiment is "gono up" Six
companies have been made out Of what Is
left Tho boys all swear they will leave the
Grst Opportunity, thst they won t fight under
drunken Generals nor for the negro. Shcr
man, Morgan and other field officers were all
drunk. You can have your opinion about
Morgan, will have mine. Morgan blames
Sherman for destroying the 10th; | blame
both ofthem. Five OF the boys have left
So soon as we get in regular Camp there
won't be one hundred men left in our regiment.
have made up my mind what to do, and
will do it unless there is change here.
JANUARY 1ith---This place IS 60 miles up
the Arkansas river. We landed hero on the
10Th inst. Tho gunboats opened on the enc
my's front the same day, keeping up thcir
fire till our infantry assisted by eight bat err
les surrounded them. AT Sunday noon the
fight was the hottest They surrendered at
o'clock. We captured G,OO0 men, all heir
arms, 400 horses and mules, and grain
enough to keep them for months, all their
ammunition and some of ours they had taken
near Yicksburg. They captured ono of our
steamers near the Arkansas river, getting our
mail, ammunition and five barrels of whiskey.
We recaptured part of the mail.
/ have but little time to write and must
make few words do, and as desire to give
you my mind fully | will let other things go.
The boys have all made up their minds |
need not say boys for old and young, almost
unanimously, say they are done lighting tor
the d--n niggcr and nothing short. The
Rcpubl cans may say what they please about
men leaving but they will find as many OIL
their party leaving as they will of the others,
and those who leave will so right home in
spite Of everything. Some have already left,
and those who remain have done their last
fighting, (Hore tho names OF some who have
left are given but we omit them). On the 10th
fifty men left from one Indiana Regiment
The men from all States unite in saying they
will not be made target of to free niggcrS.
The people a home may say what they please
about the boys leaving, but if they get homo
a man had better be in hell than to tronblc
himself about them. You may think this
| plain talk; | design it to be so. 1t will not be
ktlree months til the truth OF it will be &C :
krowledgcd.
The cry from both parties here is, d-n the
Abolitionists. The truths, man is not us
ed half rs well here as a dog is in Holmes
County. Tie feeling is constantly increasing
Write soon and give me the opinion of the
people at home.
Yours AifrctionNtely n.