19

Some of the boys have paid as much as 5 and l0 cents for stamps but they buy them off the boys who happened to be lucky enough to take them along. But it does not make any difference with me if you have the money to pay for the letters when they get there. I wrote to you to send me some stamps but I hope you have not done it for I can get them franked and then if you do not get them they do not cost anything but the paper.

The pictures you sent to me came safe and they are my choicest treasures. George got two or three letters today. I guess every one in the Regiment got one or more letters today. We have not had any mail before for about a week. If the Rebbels do not get back into Missouri again we shall not have any trouble about getting our mail and I do not believe they will for the road is lined with troops all the way between here and Springfield. I expect it is the calculation to hold every inch of country that get possession of and we are now making good progress.

George says that Lenora wrote that she expected a loaf of her rise bread would go good with him when he had nothing but bread and water. But Sarah do not believe that we go hungry at all. I have not gone hungry a day nor a half day since we left. The hardest times we have seen as to provisions was when we was on the boats and cars. We generally have to take three days rations in our haversacks, that is crackers, coffee, sugar and a little salt if we are a mind to take it and I have never got mine emptied yet and I am as hearty as any hog ought to be. When we are in camp we cook in squads of 20 each and take turns at cooking but when we are on the march each one carries his own grub, a pint dipper, plate, knife and fork and spoon. It is true that a meal of victuals of your cooking would go good but I dare not think of the things.

No one can tell how long it will be ere we shall meet again. We live in hopes but Sarah do not worry about our living. We get all we want or need to eat and a great deal better than one half the folks in Iowa. I have worked a11 through harvest on not half as good living as we get here. But it is different here for all we have to trouble ourselves about is our grub.

A soldier is not obliged to trouble himself about anything but his guts and clothes and gun and equipment. We must be ready at any moment when called upon. I have not been called upon for any kind of duty for over a week but I have to be on hand with my gun where I can get hold of it in no time. Some times we sleep with them in our hands. That would suit Jim, he used to say that he should have his gun loaded and ready.

I must close now for I am afraid I am to late for the mail now. I will write again the first opportunity. When we are on the march we do not have time nor we cannot have our writing material with us. We have all such traps in our knapsacks and on the wagons behind. I must close and go to roll call.

A.P. Mitchell

Sunday morn: I was to late for the mail last night and I will write a few line this morning. We have had no orders to move yet. We shall probably stay here today and maybe longer. I expect our next move will be to Fort Smith, that is about 60 miles form here and I believe very near the west line of the state and at the head of navigation on the Arkansas River. Sarah do not feel uneasy about us we are adoing well. I am glad to hear that the baby gets along so well. I have worried a good deal for fear she would get the hooping cough.

2O

Fayetteville, Arkansas. Oct 29-62

My Dear Wife:

I am happy to say to you this morning that we took She Rebbels by surprise yesterday morning at this place. They did not stand a fight but got away as fast as possible. There was some little fighting but nothing to amount to anything. They know we are too much for them. When I last wrote to you we were at Osage Springs. We left there night before last at dark and traveled all night a distance of 20 miles. We have done a good share of our marching in the knight for the last two weeks. I expect we shall start again to Knight but have not had marching orders yet. I have got so that I had Just as lieve be on the march as to lay still. I can travel 20 miles now easier than I could 10 when we first commenced but it is rather discouraging to run so much after the D----ls and never get them. They may possibly make a stand at Fort Smith if they will that is all we want of them.

This is a very pretty town. It is about the size of Marion and it is the county seat. I have Just been up through the town. The stores are broke open and everything looks like the picture of ruin. It is strictly against orders to destroy anything but the boys will, a great many of them, run the risk and break in and take anything they can find that they need. They have arrested quite number for breaking into stores and shops. The citizen here say they are about starved out. Flour is worth $10.00 per hundred pounds, corn a dollar a bushel and everything else in proportion. You must not think that we do not get enough to eat because things are high. It is not so after we go through. We open the road and our provisions follow us and when we get to the Arkansas River we shall have another resource and much better than carrying so much overland.

We have traveled the roughest country I ever saw. Arkansas appears to be much better than Mo. It is mostly timber, not much of any prairie. It is a great fruit country. We get all the apples we want. The health of our Company is better. The sick are getting better. A great many that have been sick are now able for duty and it makes it easier for us when in camp. There was one spell that it took nearly all the well ones to stand guard.

George has been a little under the weather for a few days but nothing more than a cold. He is better now. He said he was going to write today but he will not, for the mail carrier has just come around and says the mail will go out in a few minutes and he will not have time.

Sarah you must excuse all mistakes and if you cannot read my pencil writing let me know. I write with a pencil because it is much handier. You must write as often you can for you cannot imagine how I want to hear from you, you are continually in my mind. I hope you get all of my letters, I will write again as often as I possibly can. I do not expect I can write again until we get to Fort Smith, that Is about sixty miles from here. We may not go there but we expect to. I have not answered Ellens letter yet and I cannot today. You must write to her if you can. I am in hopes we shall get to some stopping place soon for I want to write to all of my friends and cannot possibly do it when are all the time on the march. Kiss the baby for me and I will close this time so Good By for the time.

Your friend, A.P. Mitchell

21

Osage Springs, 0ct. 31 1862

My Dear Wife:

I have Just received your letter of the 19th. I need not say that I was very pleased. I also received one when we was here before and wrote on receipt of it. I also wrote when we were at Fayettesville day before yesterday. We came from Fayetteville here yesterday. I feel bad about the baby. You say you think she has got the hooping cough. I know you will do all that can be done for her and I shall not worry any more than I can help.

You say you have written eight letters. I have reced six. You say you are most discouraged about writing because I do not get them. I beg of you to write every chance you get. I may not get all of them. You speak of the pictures you fear I have not got them but Sarah they came to me safe. I have told you so I believe in every letter since I got them. They are a great comfort to me.

George has got a lame back. He was agoing to write today but I have persuaded him not to for we have to write in a rather a hard position and I have made him believe he had better lay still.

Our sick boys that were left behind are coming every day. I have not herd from Rem Hutchins for some time; the last I heard he was getting better. Cyril Clark and Beal Davis was left at Cassville. Three of our Company came in this morning directly from there. They say that Cyril had a swelling of his feet. They have both gone back to Springfield. Chas Sawyer I heard from him, he was getting better. Williams has not got along yet, he has probably gone back to Springfield. All of them has been sent there that is not liable to be fit for duty soon. I wish I could tell you more about them for I know their friends are anxious to hear from them but it is impossible for me to keep track of the whole of them. I presume the most of them are able to write if they had a mind to. You say Bill Sawyer wrote that we had nothing to eat but doe. Sarah if you believe all you hear you will have enough to attend to. I will tell you how we lived on doe. We had flour pudding what some call minute pudding. We had all the sugar we wanted with besides we had pork and beans and crackers and coffee. We throw any amount of provisions every day. I am aware what you will hear next, that is that we are on half rations. Our rations of flour was dealt out to the Company for ten days after that an order came that we must make it last twenty days. We have now been living on half rations of flour for 5 days and we have all we want but if some cannot have as much to throw away as they eat they are not satisfied. When the twenty days are up we will have full rations of flour again. The half rations only applies to flour; we have full rations of every thing else. When you hear flying stories let them fly. I will as sure as I am alive write the truth every time, now depend on that.

Some of the boys have got their shoes nearly wore out. I expect you will next hear that we are bare foot. We shall get shoes soon I expect if not the ones we have will last for months with few exceptions and they have sent special orders and will get the shoes in a few days. Georges shoes are good and I traded mine for boots that will last me all winter. I expect I have told you before this that we have good clothes and enough of them.

We have had some hard marches and probably shall have more. I did not expect when I enlisted that we were agoing to lay around and do nothing and them that did have got mistaken

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