"Our old camp becoming unpleasant after the great slaughter of men
and animals in the battle, we have been ordered to a new camp four
miles nearer the enemy. We made our preparations, but a heavy rain has
delayed.
"I think when Colonel Morgan rejoins the regiment, after we have
whipped the rebels at Corinth and our men have a prospect of a little
rest, I will have to manage to get sick!--and by this means get a
sick-leave of a month, and come home to see my little daughter to
keep her from growing entirely out of my knowledge, and to enjoy the
long-desired society of my dear wife and friends. But I won't set my
heart upon it, neither must you, for the probabilities are we will have
to finish up this rebellion before any of us can get home. Then I will
come and make a lifelong visit with you; for it will take a very loud
and patriotic call from my country to make me leave my family again."
In my letter of the 21st I note an event which led to an important
change in my military service. My wife had two brothers, younger
than herself, Theodore, a student in the senior class at the State
University, and Alexander, then a clerk in the post-office at
Evansville. When the war broke out Alexander (or "Zan") was very
anxious to enlist, but he was only sixteen years old, and we refused
our consent largely on account of his youth, and besides, as I was
about to enter the service, I wanted him to stay at home to look
after my wife and their mother. But after the successive victories at
Donelson and Shiloh, and he heard from the returned soldiers about me,
he became restless to join our regiment. I refer to him in my letter of
the 25th:--
"I sent Zan a telegram and also wrote him a letter yesterday, saying if
Theodore could take his place in the post-office, I would have him made
a lieutenant and assign him to duty as regimental commissary. But I do
not want you to be left at home without one of the boys with you, while
I am away, and he is not to come without the approval of father and his
mother.
"Another reason which has caused me to decide for him to come, on the
above conditions, was that Aleck [my brother] has been a little unwell
for some weeks, is getting tired, insists on going out of the service,
and says he has only stayed on my account. He says if Zan comes he
can act as commissary and he (Aleck) will stay a month until Zan gets
posted in the business; and we can have him appointed regimental
quartermaster. If Aleck goes home, as he seems determined to do, I
would like to have Zan with me, as I don't fancy being here alone."
V
ON TO CORINTH AND MEMPHIS
Evidently General Halleck's efforts to reorganize the army after
the battle of Shiloh were having a salutary effect in the camp, as
indicated in my letter of the 21st of April:--
"We are having greater confidence in the army now. We think Halleck
will manage affairs with much system and skill, and will not cause such
needless slaughter of brave soldiers as we had on the 6th. I am glad
to see the public journals exposing the wretched generalship which
permitted a complete surprise of a large army, and its almost complete
annihilation. But matters will go on much better now. System is
beginning to be apparent in every department, and care and foresight.
If we only had a good, full regiment everything would go well with
me, but we are sadly cut up. Sickness has weakened us very much, and
the two last battles have seriously reduced us. Our officers from
sickness, exposure and other causes are resigning; two of them go home
to-morrow. My own health and spirits are very good, but it is a little
discouraging to see the regiment so weakened."
But I cannot end the extracts without a little glimpse at our home
life, for which I so often express a longing in my letters. The Mr.
Tubbs referred to was the bearer of my wife's letter:--
"Mr. Tubbs said he called on you before he left and heard you play,
and praised your music extravagantly. I hope you do not neglect your
practice, as I want you always to be able to play as well as when we
were married. He spoke of what a pleasant home I had; it made me want
to be there. I was much moved at father's last letter in which he said
I was always in the thoughts of the folks at home; that _the little
ones talked about me every day_. How I wish I could be at home with
them again to enjoy the company of the little ones, of my own Alice and
the rest."
After three weeks of waiting, recuperation, and reinforcement, General
Halleck began the movement of his grand army against Corinth in the
last days of April. General Grant places its number at 120,000. I
reported this movement in my letter of May 3 as having already begun,
and in anticipation of another battle I seek to quiet my wife's fears:
"I wrote you of our change of camp, going four miles away from the
river beyond Shiloh Church toward Corinth; and we are now under orders
to proceed to Monterey, five miles from this camp, so that to-morrow
night we hope to be thirteen or fourteen miles from the river, and five
or six miles from Corinth. But I think we shall not have a great battle
for some days yet, for I think the enemy will wait for us to attack
them in their intrenchments.
"You must not be too solicitous if you hear of a great battle, or be
too credulous of telegraphic reports. I will try to do my duty, and we
will leave the result to our Heavenly Father, who has kindly been my
shield and protector thus far through terrible dangers."