Year: 1864




of the same locality, was handed us about .
month since. By some accident the mann
script was mislaid. or we should sooner have
published it. As il is one of those things
that will bear publication at any time md
often-speaking as it does from the heart and
from the field where nation fights for its
integrity-its interest is not lost by age:


CAMP IN THE WooDs, Va.


| July 4. 1864.


Mr.. WoLcorr-Dear Sir: now take nv
pen in hand to answer your kind and welcome
letter, which received last night; and be-
lieve me. dear sir, am very happy to hear
from you and the boys, and that you are. all
we'll. This leaves me right side up with
care, although have seen some pretty hard
times since last wrote to you, aud some
narrow escapes. but have come out with
the best hand.


| On the lst of May 400 of us were picked
out for General Sheridan's command, and /
tell you if ever men went through the d-d
rebs. it was this command. Since the 4th of
May we have been in thirteen fights, and enc
of them-the battle of the Wilderness-las4ed
three days NOR have we ever felt like defeat
We have laid Stewart and his rebel commend
so that there is not corporaps guard of them
left; but the best thing have seen in his
war was in front of Richmond. We mad a
raid around the place and camped for he
night within about three miles of the
city. In the morning we were surrounded
by Fitz Hugh Lee, with about our number
in cavalry and three thousand on foot He
was SO sure of bagging us all that he sent
for JEFF. and Bragg to come out and see him
cut the Yankees up; but believe he will
always think about that bag. for l tell you,
Wolcott, we cut SO many holes in it that you
could see nothing left but scattering threads,
so that he has not tried again, and we can't
get him to fight US any more. We have
| played him out When our General saw
that be was surrounded, he went along the
! line and told the men" Boys, We are sur
rounded by heavy force. but we can whip
them. Let every man do his dlty." Two
thousand Of us dismounted with our seven
| shooters, and let then, come within about
sixty yards before the order was given. They
were five and six deep, but the first volley we
gave them they halted. We then gave them
hell. They broke, and the men who were
mounted after them, and the day was ours.
The result was that we killed five hundred
and nine and wounded eleven hundred and
FIVE, eight hundred and sixty-eight prisoners
besides the slightly wounded. The balance
we left on the field. Our loss was LOG killed,
3l4 wounded. We have done the greatest
work that ever cavalry was known to do in
this or any other war. In the Wilderness we
charged a rebel work mounting five guns, two
of them u Founders and three 32's, and we
had ditch to jump ten feet wide and six
feet deep. There We got the worst cutting
Up Of any in this war. The ditch was pretty
well filled up with our brave boys and horses,
but the traitors flag had to come down. We
took the works. junped from the saddle and
turned their own guns on them and took GOO
prisoners. but We lost very heavy in killed.
The works were ours. if we did pay dearly
for them, and ] tell you. Wolcott. our men
fight more like devils than anything else
1 he number of men we have had in our reg-
enlisted men. and we number 806 now, SO
you can judge for yourself.


l must tell about an internal rebel shell
that came nigh knocking oil / Churntown3in
cooked hat. / was sent out with ten men n
m lie to the left of our line to watch the
movements of the graybacks. ! posted my
pckets and then the rest of us tied our horses
and sat down. We sat about a half hour
when a rebel shell dropped within ten feet of
US, killing two and wounding one. A piece
of the shell went across my breast. carrying
away the frant of my vest, but drawing no
blood | had to laugh to hear one of the boy s
say: Well, | guess we amt wanted here"
| began to think that way myself, but that
was the only one that came near us.


tell you, Wolcott, everything is going on
right under Grant. He has done nothing
but 60 ahead, and he is sure to win You
will hear, in a short time, one of the darnd-
est knocking at the door of Davis that ever
was. 1t will shake the foundation SO that
the house can't stand. Tell - that if he
keeps drunk until JEFF. cleans out old Abe
lie never will draw a sober breath again.
We left White. House last Tuesday, and
came to Join our regiment near Fairfax Court
House. We have lost all our horses but GO,
so we left them with the command. We got
here last night, but how soon we will get
horses don't know. Out of the 100 men we
got back with 1893, SO that amt 20 bad, for
tell you this very 400 has killed over 1900
rebels, besides capturing three times their
number. At the battle Of the Wilderness
emptied five saddles in less time than it takes
me to write it. We have always twenty
one shots ready, so may know how we are
armed, besides our sabres. but we haven't
had to use the sabre any in this campaign,
as the rebele can't stand the ca airy STEEL
tell you. Wolcott, never got in fight
yet but thought of Churntown and the
boys. You can tell them if kill rebel for
every friend left in Churntown. and about
twenty for myself, will be satisfied to GO
back and take you all by the hand. Tell the
boys that would like to have them write to
me, and I will answer all letters sent.


From your friend,


j. j. MOORE