Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-01-07
army correspondence.
COMPANY F, 24rH IND. VoI's,
New Iberia, La, Dec. Is, 1863.

Editors Journal
We, us, and company, are regular
readers of your valuable journal, and
shall be happy to remain SO. We have
seen a good many interesting communi-
cations from your army correspondents
in other Indiana regiments, but have
seen none from our own; but we suppose
the reason is, no one of us had the auda-
city to expose himself in a public jour
nal, for we don't profess to be literary
men. But We suppose few words from
Company T, of the 9th, may be inter
eshng to some of your readers, as we
claim the section of country you live in
to be our home, and we have friends
there that think a good deal of US, we
judge, from the treatment we received
there last summer. Well, since we have
been in this Department, we have seen
some of the ups and downs of soldier
life. In our first experiences in this De-
partment at Carrollton near New Or
leans, we had fine time, and the boys
enjoyed themselves amazingly, for every
thing in the eating line could be bought
cheap for cash; but we soon got orders to
leave there and go to Brashear City,
where we made oranges and sweet pota-
toes suffer to some extent. It is a very
poor country around Breashear City,
composed mostly of bayous and swamps,
and we were very glad to get orders to
cross the bay to the west side and pre-
pare for march, it was said, to Texas,
and was called by the New Orleans pa
pers the grand Texas overland expedi-
ton, which, am sorry to acknowledge,
has turned out fzzle We got orders
and started on our march on the Sd Of
October, and kept on from day to dav,
until we got to Vermillion Bayou Here
we went into camp, and the 10Th Army
Corps went ahead and ran afoul of soAe
Rebs at Carbon Crow Bayou. They
made quite noise with their big "guns,"
and routed the Rebs We got orders list
Brig, Sd Div to march to the front to
the assistance of the 18th "boys." We
marched all the long, weary night; aw-
full tired and foot-sore, we wished good
many times during the night we were
back in Evansville. We caught up with
the 18th boys in the morning, and went
into camp in the front Before we had
got our small shebangs up, we were
called into line by a forage party coming,
running Dell nell towards camp. We
waited very patiently in line of battle for
the rebels to come, but they only made
dash on our pickets, and retired. We
stopped in camp on Carton Grow Prairie
few days, and got orders to go forward
to Opelousas We advanced about
| four miles and found the rebels in
force. We formed line of battle; our
Regiment on the right; l1th Indiana in
the center, and the 46th Indiana on the
left; we put out line of skirmishers in
front, and advanced to meet the rebs.
The skirmishing became very heavy at
one time, and very heavy force of rets
were in line in our front, when section
of Nlmm's battery was ordered to The
front. They came up and gave them a
dose or two of their pills, which caused
the rebs to skedaddle. We advanced
and took possession of the town of Ope-
lousas, and went from there to Barrels
Landing on the Bayou Latalfa, and went
into camp for few days, when We re-
ceived orders to return to Opelousas.
We stopped at Opelousas few days and
went back to Carbon Crow Prairie, and
went into camp there with one Brigade
of Gen. Burbridge's Division camped
about four miles in our rear, as rear
guard. While in camp there on the Sd
of November, our rear guard was at
tackled by heavy force of rebs, and was
badly cut up, before we could get
to their assistance AS soon as it was
known in our camp that our rear guard
was attacked, we fell into line, and went
across the Prairie to their assistance.
We arrived at the scene of action Just in
time to save the wagon train belonging
to the rear guard. 1t was scene that
won't be very soon forgotten. Men run
ming, drivers slashing, and mules snort
ing, all doing their best to get out of the
way of the rebs, while in the rear of the
train just emerging from the woods, was
line of rebel cavalry coming on full
charge We were going at double
quick, in line of battle, to meet the foe
As soon as the rebs got out on the prai-
RE and saw ms in line of battle advanc-
ing to meet them, they began to hesitate
about taking in the train The 10th
Indiana got orders to give them a volley,
which soon turned the attention of the
rebs to the rear; but they captured good
many of the Goth and 9th Indiana Resi-
meuts. We were very much surprised,
on going over the battle field, to find
good many guns laying on the field with
the loads in them and capped already to
| fire. The owners had already surren-
dered without firing gun. We were sor-
~ to see Indiana boys guilty of such
trick. We were much surprised to see
your correspondent of the Goth putting
spurs to an old bald-faced sorrei, doing
his best to get in the rear of our Brig
ade, and when the fight was over, we
were amused to see with what determin-
alton said correspondent rode back to his
camp, to see the ruin the rebs had made.
Next day we received orders to fall back
on Vermillionville; stopped there a few
days, and came back to this place where
we have put up winter quarters, with the
calculation of stopping few days The
lstand I'd Divisions have gone to Texas.
The 18th has gone to New Orleans, and
we are the only Division of the 18th
Corps left here. We started recruit
ing party from here the other day.
Charley Uric is recruiting Sergeant for
our Company. Please give Charley
warm reception and good word, and
obllge Yours, JOHNNY.