Camp near Corinth
		    Head Quarters
		   Gen Rosecranse
			Oct 11th 1862.
My Promised Bride.
		          Your letters have
at last reached me _ and I em-
-brace this (the first opportunity of
responding.      Oh! my dear Emma can
you imagin how   I have longed for
those dear Kind & Loving letters.
     But Dearest I knew they would
be forth-coming as soon as we
could drive back the Rebel Horde
which for some time had surr-
ounded us _ cut off Entirely our com-
-muniction with the North &. threatened
our complete destruction.     At last 
with a tremendious force under Price
Van Dorn ["Sove"ll?] &. Villapique they
attacked our position some five miles
from Corinth where we had thrown
out a portion of our army to resist
their onward march upon Corinth. But
after a hard days fighting. (Thursday the 2d) We
were ordered to fall back within two miles
of Corinth where we could hold them at

[Written sideways on top of Scan 1]

Dearest.
	Please
excuse the
writing. I am 
almost dead,
Completely _ done
out. Excuse
poor punctuation
etc. etc. etc. There are
many questions in 
your letters which 
I could not
answer in this
letter. &. send by
today's mail. I
will write again
soon. &. ans. all.
	Your own
                  Loving
		Mark

	          write


bay until we could be entirely pre-
pared to Give them a warm reception
inside the city limits _ Well we fought
them all day Friday in the vicinity of
Town &. in the Evening they were rein –
forced &. charged upon us driving us
back to the supports of the Forts in
Corinth. My God what a day. I never
never want to see another like it if
possible to avail it. Friday night we
slept upon our Arms _ Our Troops were
in line of Battle. I was Orderley for
Gen Rose cranse _ and was bussy until
two oclock Saturday morning carrying
Orders &. Despatches to different Commands.
At two   I lay down in the Generals tent
thinking I would rest until morning _
But scarsely had I slept before
Boom Boom Boom. from the Enemy's
Canon _ and Double quick time. There “was no
Use.” Sleep had “played out” The Ball
had opened sooner than we anticipated
	During the night the Rebels had
succeeded in planting a Battery in
full range of town _ and were now
shelling us out.   The first shot they
fired struck a beautiful mansion
Just in the rear of the Generals Tent

tearing it all to peices
			They supposed the
General occupied it. For two hours
they shelled us throwing some [illegible in original] shell
per minute _ at the End of which time
our Forts silanced their guns and
our Infantry charged upon _ and
brought off by hand their Battery
	The fight now became [illegible in original] such
roaring. My God it was awful _ Just
imagin Eighty Canon _ and perhapse
more _ firing as rapidly as they could load.
     Think of the most dreadful thunder
storm You Ever witnessed _ add ten
to it _ and multiply the whole _ by
Nine Hundred &. ninty-nine &. you can
form but a small idea of the noise.
      Then think of 75. thousand men
with muskets all shooting as rapidly
as they could besides Bomb shells
bursting above and arround you.
	In the excitement you forget danger
and “go in to [whipe?]” At ten o.clock the
enemy penetrted the town as far as
the General's Head Quarters. and pl-
-anted their treasonable flag on one
of our best forts _ Our men were fall-
ing back (at this time I supposed the
day was lost) But Hamilton's Division

now charged upon them drove them
from our Fort. Our whole Force now
divided flanking the enemy on two
sides while our best artillery
fired upon them from a third. Gen.
Rosecranse rides along his lines _ shouting
“Give them H – l  I have them now where
I want them.” The Enemy comenced
runing and we after them. We had
them out Generaled _ Our little Rosecranse
with half their force had whiped them
     They ran _ and we after them I have just
returned   we drove them over seventy miles.
I took a Rebel Lieut Prisoner. I am
nearly _ dead having been in my saddle
for two nights & one day _ with out sleep
or rest. Emma dear Girl your letter was
sent through to me when I was after Price
the night it was received _ I was cold & hungry
I had to do without my supper. But when
that dear Loved letter was received. I was
revived &. strange to say felt no more hunger
     I saw when passing over the Battle Field
in some places as many as fifty Rebels
laying dead in one pile _ where our
Canon had swept them down. We must
have taken over 4 Thousand Prisoners
Killed &. Wounded several thousand more
&. scattered their whole Army _ We are
near badly flagged and we know
it. We have been (us boys) not quite two
months in the Army and been
in two Battles _ That's doing well I think
Our Company lost several [2 words illegible in original]
[illegible in original] many wounded


Page 5th			[1862, Oct. 11]

     Dear One
		Since writing the
other sheet. Your last dear letter
has come to hand. Oh! Emma what
a comfort your letters are to me.
     with what Joy are they read _ and
reread by me. They make me so cheer-
-ful &. contented. Darling Emma you
are food enough for any one in
this wide wide world.  You might
find those who would love you
But never never can you find
One that will love you more de-
-votedly than I.  Yes, I dear dear
Emma since my aquaintence 
with you have loved you as Truly
&. devotedly as any Humane  Be-
-ing is Capable of loving. With
your consent _ had it not been for
this wicked &. unholy Rebellion we
should never have been separated
for any length of time. But
like many others this war has dis-
arranged my plan's considerably
	I received a letter from
my father in Minnesota _ a few
day's since in which he stated _ That

he had received an appointment
as Quarter Master in the Indian
Campaign under Maj Gen Pope
     He also stated that the Indians
now occupied a portion of the
country where considerable of
our Property is situated &. that
he expected to find it destroyed.
Oh! Emma what is our once
happy country coming to. Destruct-
-ion seems to stare us in the
face. Yet come what will lets
be cheerful _ Lets hold up our heads
and be thankful that God
in his mercy has spared our
lives &. those of our friends. I hope
to hear more cheering newes from
my friends in [illegible in original] soon. Only a
short time ago _ and they felt so
secure in life &. Property _ and
now in the midst of a most Bar-
berous _ &. Inhumane [illegible in original] War.
     Father wrote that the Indians nailed
little children by the feet – heads
hanging downward – to fence posts 
and left them there to die.
		                    I hope
Father will conclude to send his
family back to Illinois _ and then

    dearest Girl My Sisters shall
visit You &. You dear girl
shall return that visit. 
		If God in
his mercy shall see fit to spare
my life during this war _ dear One
we shall in all probability be United
soon after _ I cannot now say how
soon dear Emma for you
know dear girl I can not foresee
events _ and I will never make you
a promise _ which I will not fulfill.
     Oh my Own Promised Emma
how happy shall we both be
when our union shall be con-
sumated.  I will be proude of you
dearest. for you are so worthy
so noble &. Kind. so different
from many of your sex.
     We will prove to our friends
in Wilkinson City – that our love
was true & sincere _ That we were not
Coquettes _ But that we ment all we
acted. Emma dear I am [illegible in original]
your Mother thinks so much of
me for I love her very much
indeed.
	     Darling I know my
friends will love you for 

no one can help it after
making your aquaintance.
	Much Loved. circumstances
prevented my writing to you
before. for our communication
with the north was cut off for
some days and after the Battle
I followed Price for One week
	I passed over the field of
Battle to day over one week
had passed away _ &. yet there were
many dead Rebels yet to be
seen. notwithstanding they have
been bussy all the time burying
the dead.  I must close now as
the mail goes north very soon
and I want you to Know 
that your Mark is safe
	Frank Goodwin has been
quite sick _ has not recovered
yet.
	My Own Darling Emma.
You say the W. Girls have one
of my letters.  Please find out if
possible who. I wrote it to. &. how
they obtained it. How is your Bro.
John prospering. I hope when
you receive this your health will
be good. Be very careful of your
self dear Emma. You must not
confine [you _ self?] to closely. Go all
you can. Mark will not be jealous
for he knows his Emma is true
Write often &. long to your own.
				Mark

[Written sideways on the left-hand side of Scan 8]

Is that clerks name Sam or Ottis. If. so I think him a
very good Boy. I never saw anything more