15

I have not got but one letter from you by mail and that I got day before yesterday. Patterson has not got here 2et.

I am very anxious to hear from you. I want to know how you are getting along. I want to know wether you have had frost there to kill the corn and cane and how you are getting along with the hogs and a thousand other things. I feel anxious to know how the baby gets along. You wrote that she had the dysentery but I am confident that she will be well taken care of. I know that you and your mother will do all that can be done for her.

I am in hopes that Jim will do just as he agreed to with our things.

Newton (y) Mo. Oct. 6 1862

Dear Wife:

I scribbled a few lines to you last evening by moonlight. I should have waited until today but I expected we should leave here early this morning but we are still here. I do not know wether we shall leave here tonight or not but when we do go we shall without doubt go to Cross Hollow, Arkansas and probably from there to Little Rock. We are all right as long as the force we have here remain together. We are under the Command of Gen Scofield and have force enough to drive the rebbels to the gulf of Mexico. The great trouble is they will not stand fight. They will run as soon as we get in sight of them. It was amusing to see them Skedaddle last Saturday when we came inhere our cavalry persuing them. They bring in prisoners every day.

There is a Regt. of Indians in this army that do good exicution. They understand fighting them. They Slaughter the Rebbels as fast as they come to them.

Sarah you say you are discouraged. I beg of you Saran to keep up good courage, do not give me up for lost. In all probability I shall be at home within six months. No person ever hated to leave home more than I did, not because I was afraid to go to war but you know verry well that no one thought more of their family than I do. But Dear Sarah we must hope for the best. We shall when this war is ended be permitted to enjoy ourselves together again, that is if our lives are spared us. We are verry much encouraged/ We have no fears as to MO. We expect to sweep everything clean for we have got the means to do it. We probably shall have some hard marches but as long as we are well we are good for it. We have had some hard marches but it has not affected me a particle. My Brothers advise as to health has been strictly observed ever since I left home. This is hard place to be sick in. Charles Sawyer is at Springfield. He is getting better, George is on guard today or he would write. He is well; he stands it first rate.

William is no better and I am afraid he never will be. Dr. Patterson is writing and we will enclose our letters together to save postage stamps. We begin to get short of stamps but we can send our letters without them by getting them franked by the Colonel of the Reg. We have made assignment of our pay to our friends or a part of it. We have it paid to Burns. He will draw it from the Government and pay it to you That saves all the trouble and risk of sending it by mail, I assigned $10.00 a month to you and keep $3.00 myself. I cannot use that much but I thought I would reserve that much for fear of what might happen. You will draw $10.00 a month as long as I am in the service. All you will have to do will be to call on Burns and he will pay it to you as fast as he receives it from the Paymaster. George has done the same. He has his paid to your Father.

I must now close for this time. You must always write how the baby gets along. I wish I could have your pictures but I guess you had better not try to send them. The ones I have got are a great comfort to me but would like to see the baby as she looks now. 8he must have changed a great deal.

From you affectionate Husband

A.P.M.

Direct as before,

Sugar Creek, Arkansas 0ct. ? 1862

I again improve the opportunity to announce to you that I am in good health. I wrote to you a few days ago. We were then at Cassville, Mo. We left there yesterday and marched twenty miles and camped near the old battle ground at Pea Ridge. The marks of the battle is plain to be seen. We left that place this morning and came to this, only about

3 miles. We may stop here tonight and we may not. We expect to go to Cross Hollows, that is about twelve miles form here. It is reported that the Rebbels have evacuated Cross Hollows and gone to Little Rock. We shall probably follow them. Missouri is cleaned of Rebbels except bands who skulk about in the brush.

Our sick are about the same, some are getting better and some worse.

Beal Davis and Cyril Clark were left at Cassville yesterday neither of them are considered dangerous but they are not able to travel 15 or 20 miles a day and our teams are heavy loaded and it is impossible for so many to ride. I have not heard from those that were left behind. C. Sawyer, R. Hutchins, Williams and Stannard, Doc Patterson and Andrews are both unwell but are along with us.

Our Regiment does not number over 500 men that are fit for duty but all the old Regiments say that our Regiment is in better condition than theirs were when they first went into service. The change of climate and diet is what uses them up and if they get sick they do not seem to try to get well. They will eat everything that their appetites crave and as long as they do that the diarrhea will hang to them.

George is as tough as an ox and so am I. I cannot stop to write any more now. I should not have written at all today but I know you cannot have heard from me too often. I shall look for a letter from you this evening. I recd one from you at Cassville written the 3d of Oct.

You must not get alarmed at any reports you may hear until you get the facts.

Good by Sarah, kiss the baby for me. Her little laughing picture lies before me. All who see it say it the funniest picture they ever saw.

Write often Sarah.

From your afct husband. A. P. Mitchell.

This was contributed by

(Send this page to a Friend)     ( Roster Photo's )

If you have any additional information that you would like to add to this page or other pages and share with

visitors of on this web site, please contact