Camp at Lagrange, Tenn.,
March 29, 1863.
All perfectly quiet except the regular picket firing every night which here exceeds anything I ever before met in my experience. ‘Tis singular, too, for we have a large force of cavalry here and I should think the rascals would hardly dare to venture so near them. A few days since three guerrillas came up to one of our cavalry pickets, and while he was examining one of their passes the others watching their chance gobbled him. They at once retreated. The sergeant of the picket heard a little noise on the post and just got there in time to see the secesh disappear. He raised the alarm, and a party followed them on the run for 15 miles, rescued our man, killed three and captured four of the rascals, Yesterday some of Richardson’s men displaced a rail on the track ten miles west of this place, and captured a train. They got away with their prisoners, but hadn’t time to destroy the cars. ‘Tisn’t safe to go three miles from camp now, although 100 men can go 40 miles in any direction safely. Do you hear of any deserters returning under the President’s proclamation? I hope to the Lord that my black sheep won’t come back. A letter came for him to-day, and I opened it. ‘Twas from his father advising him to get out of this “Abolishun” war as quickly as he could. His “Pa and Ma” are welcome to him. Generals Sullivan, Denver and Hamilton have all left this country within the last few days, for Vicksburg. General Smith commands our division now. We are now in the 2d Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Army Corps. The colonel of the 6th Iowa is the ranking officer in the brigade but he is now sick, so Colonel Wolcott of the 46th Ohio now runs. Two captains of the 46th Ohio, and myself have been constituted by Smith a “Board of Survey,” to appraise damages committed by our army in the property of loyal citizens here. I think he has just done it to get the citizens off his hands. Have no idea that they will ever be allowed anything for their losses. There were three bills, each over $2,500, sent in to us yesterday. I hope the general will allow us to drop the business this week; if he will not, however, we can be kept busy for almost any length of time. By Smith’s orders the reveille is sounded now at 4 o’clock a.m. and the men appear with arms and accoutrements, and form line of battle. This is to avoid any bad consequnces which follow a Rebel cavalry dash at daylight, if we should be found in our tents. I think ’tis an excellent policy to be always ready for the enemy, but I declare I dislike this early rising very much.