The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-08-04
From the SD Wis.-The Raid into Mis-
SiSSinDi.

| We are permitted to puDIlSI The 1olloWlnS
from member of Co. H SO Wis, TO his sis
ter in this city.
MEMPHIS Tenn. July "a. 1864.
Dear Sister, are again in camp in
Memphis. | wrote to you last at La, Grange;
/ rather had the blues then. Since then.
we have met the enemy and after long
and bloody battle defeated them, and l feel
rather better. In fact am pretty good ua-
tured. We had been so unsuccessful i'll the
spring that had got rather discouraged,
and cross, but I feel "bully"now We have
given old Forrest the biggest whipping he
ever dreamed Of We had to fight like dew
lis to do it, but we did it,and did it up
brown too am not in much of a mood for
riting, but will try and give you a little
account of the expedition.
First will tell you our command. A. j..
Smith commanded the army; we were in
the 1st Division, Com. by Gen Mower the
men call him fighting Joe Mower" and he
is rightly named too. He likes to fight.
He will ride along the lines in the thickest
of the fight where the men are falling like
grass before the scythe, just as cool and col
Iected as man would be on pleasure ride :,
smiling and ''skoutjag the battle cry offree-
DOM" like to fight under such men.
Our Regt. was in the 4th Brigade Com
posed of the 33d Wis. and the remains of
the 41st III altogether about 700 fighting
men, and commanded by Col, Ward of the
18th Wis. He is a splendid officer too, and
was private in the three months service.
1t. Col. Lowell commanded the Regt. Col
Lowell is just the best man that ever drew a
sword the men think more of him than
they do of themselves. He was slightly
wounded in the shoulder but not so as to
throw him off duty.
We marched from La Grange the 9TH of
July took Southeast course to Rtpley
then nearly south to Pontotoc, and then east
to Tupelo. The weather was dreadful hot,
the citizens say it has been the hottest sum-
mer they have seen for years. No tongue
can tell how we suffered from the heat
Men dropped down in the road, and died
every day. 10 Of our regt were prostra-
ed by sunstroke, but not killed. The
strictest kind of orders were issued against
the men falling out and they all tried their
best to keep up, but they could not. A
man bad to be fire proof, and as tough as a
horse to stand it, Sometimes we would have
100 men in the regt. and they would be only
just able to crawl; can't call it walking for
they could only just drag themselves along,
and what made it still worse, we did not
have half enough to eat we went hun
CRY, day after day. Three days we had to
make long marches on only one cracker a
day never want to see the like of it again
have been hungry before but never suf
fered as | did then. A person who never
has been hungry, cannot imagine anything
about what miserable feeling it is, to be
hungry. 1t makes man feel just as if he
could kill and eat his best friend. When we
got where we could get rations, we could not
eat enough to satisfy ourselves. We would
eat or s times day aud be hungry all
the time then. Two years ago if man had
told me that men could live and endure SO
many hardships or had done it, l should not
hava haIiavad him 7 e+ooJ ~, ,,,o,ol, e.
rate L never gave out once, and did not get
behind the company once. Sometimes
would be the only man in the company
There is not much of me but what there is,
is sound
We did not meet with much trouble from
the enemy while on the march. There was
some slight skirnishing in the front and
rear all the time, but nothing to amount to
anything. The rebs made dash on the
rear guard one day, and run off some beef
cattle but we got them back next day.
The day we got to Pontotoc we found
quite force Of rebels in position, too strong
for the cavalry to rout, and we had to form
line of battle to open the road. Our di-
vision was in advance that day. We march
ed off to the right Of the field formed our
line in the open field; the artillery came up
then and gave them few rounds, our skirn-
ishers worked their way up so that they
could begin to pick them then the order was
given, Fright Shoulder Shift Arms, Forward
centre, March" and the whole line
about three-fourths Of mile long moved off
as one man. We thought we were going to
have pretty sharp little fight, for the rebs
were III strong position, but they got up
and trotted, before the main line got within
lighting distance. 1t is grand sight to
see an army Of number of thousand men
advancing in line of battle, with the flags
flying and their bright gun barrels all held
at the same SLOPE on their shoulders and the
men all moving forward in a solid line with
firm and steady step, and all stepping as
if the whole line was only one man. 1t is
a splendid sight but not quite SO pleasant
to be In as to look at, Every man does
not know but what he is drawing his last
breath perhaps before he takes another step
a bullet will strike him dead but the men
do not think of dying all they think of is
to conquer. If the Union was restored, and
both armies united we could fight the whole
world
We got to Pontotoc the 18th of July !;
rested there the 18th, and the morning of
the 18th; started for Tupelo, 20 miles dis
tant. Then began foot race, the rebels
were IN force near Pontotoc and expected
that we would attack them there, but as soon
as they discovered that we had left, the