Cassville,

October 14, 1862

Dear Wife:

It is with pleasure that I Seat myself to address a few lines to you. I have not written to you as often of late as I would like to you but Sarah I shall write as often as I possibly can. We have been on the march a good deal of the time which make it retry inconvenient to write, I would like to write every day if I could but it would be almost impossible. I will indevor to write as often as once a week and if anything happens to any of us I will write or have some one immediately.

I am well and so is George. There is but a verry few in the Company that has not been sick more or less. Diarrhea is the general complaint· I am agetting fat. I am in hopes that I have got habituated to the climate and mode of living now so that if I am careful can retain my health.

The weather is getting cold but it is quote pleasant. The nights are quite frosty. I expect it is quite cold in Iowa. I would like to know if the frost killed the corn and cane. I would like to know wether the cane is worked up or not. I am looking for a letter. When I get it probably shall hear all about it. I have not received but two letters from you by mail, I recd one from Israel one from William and one from Ellen a few days since. I sent Ellens to you.

We have verry flattering news in regard to the war. Great victories won on the Potomac. A flag of truce sent in Washington. Prices Army all cut to pieces in Virginia. We are continually hearing such reports and I do not listen too much that I hear.

I do not think there is much prospects of our getting into a Battle veery soon although we are we are within 30 miles of the Rebbels Camp but they will probably run when attacked the same as they did from Necotona the other day. It is rumored that we are agoing to stay here a month but I have no means of knowing. I think though that we shall stay a week or two.

Oct 15

I have this morning recd from a letter dated Oct 2 also the picture of yourself and baby. I am verry pleased with them. They look so natural. She is fat as a pig isn't she,

George got Lenoras picture and a letter. We shall in all probability stop here for, some time.

If you went to see the Soldiers at Iowa City you see something we live and get along.

17

We of course are not in quite as good circumstances as when we were as when we were in the Barracks as they are there, But we have good tents. I expect Jim enjoyed his visit to the Camp did he Not?

You said you heard that our Regt. was all cut to pieces. I expected you would hear all such stories. We have not been in any danger yet. We have been near enough to a Battle to hear the guns and to see the Rebbels run. I will write again soon. Tell Abby to write again,

Sarah you must keep up good courage. Your may expect me home between this and next spring. The war cannot last long. I expect the time seems long to you, it does to me, it seems that I have been gone a year, time seems to pass off quick too. I can hardly keep the day of the week. The day of the week does not count to much here. He do not know anything about Sunday. One day, here is the same as another. We have a Chaplain but he don't amount to a hill of beans.

If you can you may send me some postage stamps. We cannot get them here.

A. P. Mitchell

Pea Ridge, 0ct. 17 1862

Dear Wife: I wrote to you yesterday but as George is writing I thought I would pencil a few lines to send with his. We are at the same place we were yesterday. I thought I dated my letter Sugar Creek. We are about as near one place as the other. There Was some fighting done about ten miles from here yesterday afternoon. The Rebbels it is said were driven back about four oclock P.M. I think by what I can learn that the Battle did not amount to much, anyway our Brigade was ordered to be ready at any moment but we did not know what was going on but mistrusted that something was up and slept with one eye open. I have just read in the Linn County Register an account of our great Battle at Newtons. If you have not seen it you will find it in the Register of Oct. 9 and probably before you get this you will hear of the Battle of yesterday.

We probably shall have a brush at Cross Hollow but we have force enough to clean out all they have got there.

I have been, trying my hand at cooking today. I wish you could have had one of my flapjacks which we had for breakfast. We had beef soup & dumplings for dinner which was excellent. I expect I shall have to do the cooking when I get home.

I expect it is about corn picking time with you. I feel very uneasy about my corn. I am afraid it will not be taken care of. If it was in this county it would get harvested. This army takes everything they come to in the shape of corn. They take it to feed horses and mules on. The Rebbels striped every Union Man as they passed through and our Army takes everything they need that belongs to the Secesh and that leaves the country looking desolate. I cannot begin to give you any description of it until I get home, then will tell you the whole story but the North does not know anything about the horror of war. Their suffering is nothing compared with the South. I have heard it said that the South had the advantage of the North for the reason that they could fight at home but

I think we decidedly the advantage. After an army passes through the country there is not much left. We have burned more rails than ever 01d Abe split in his lifetime.

A.P. Mitchell

18

Osage Springs, Arkansas

Oct. 25 1862

Dear Wife:

You cannot imagine how pleased I am this morning. I have received your letter of the 4 & 5 Oct.. I wrote you last Sunday. Since then we have had quite lively times, We have marched about a hundred miles, We left Pea Ridge Monday and marched for Cross Hollows where there was some 8000 of the Rebbels. They left as soon as they found that we were on their track, We camped on their old camp ground until the next night at dark we then to blind them retreated back and the next day before noon they were back where we started from and afollowing us up. General Blunt then came in on them and took all of their heavy guns and a large amount of provisions and some prisoners. I have not learned Just how many yet. It has been reported that he took 2000 but I think it doubtful. (Dye is General of our Bgd.) I think there was but a few taken. You may think strange that I do not know all about it but if I should write all the reports that I hear it would fill the largest news sheet in the Union and perhaps none of it be true. You need not believe anything you hear about our going to Texas or any other place. We do not know anything about where we shall go. No one knows where we are going when we start but the General himself, We came here yesterday from Huntsville about 8 miles. This morning our teams that we left at Pea Ridge came in with our tents, knapsacks and provisions and those that were not able to march, 2ere all left at Pea Ridge. We only took one six mule team to each Company. We are now back within 10 miles of Pea Ridge where we started from last Monday.

Saran it does not make much difference where we go. If we go furthers south we shall get onto river navigation. We can then get our mail and provisions quicker and easier then we do now and probably the weather will be warm. We had a snowstorm here last night, this morning the ground was quite white. I do not believe there has been any in Iowa yet, We are in the vicinity of the Ozark mountains and the snowfalls early but does not stay on any length of time, only a few days of rain.

Two of our company that were left behind came in this morning. They were left with Rem Hutchins. One of them is Capt. Lucores son, They have got well and say that Rem is getting along first rate but was not able to come with them. They saw Charles Sawyer as they came along. He is getting better. We have taken a mill here and Jake Luckinan has gone into grinding. We have any amount of provisions. When we want any beef or pork, geese or chickens turkies or any thing of the kind all we have to do is go out and kill them. We are in the enemies country and we do not intend to want for anything they have got. We have a heavy force here and we sweep the country clean or nearly so. It takes all the corn they have to feed our horses end mules and their fences furnish us with firewood.

I do not believe they are going to stand a fight at all. All the way we can get them is to surround them if we can. The prisoners that we have taken say that they are poorly armed; They have whole Regiments of Conscript men that are not armed at all and poorly clothed. They say they have not seen any coffee for twelve months. We have any amount of coffee and sugar,

I will try and tell you what George meant by speaking of postage stamps. There is no regular post office between here and Springfield and of course there is no stamps, Our Sutler told us that he should take stamps enough along but he did not do it.

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