Camp in Mississippi 5 miles from Corinth

Saturday evening  May 10^th, 1862

My Dear Wife:-

I today received yours of the 16^th and 17^th ultimo. I had been looking for it for three or four days, since I received the one dated April 22^nd which spoke of this one.  I answered it immediately.  I also received one today from John Foster dated 18^th ultimo, containing 50 cents worth of postage stamps.  You will thank him for me and if you have the money to spare you will pay him for them.  I will write to him in a few days.  I hope to get another from him in a day or two in answer to the package I sent him that contained the money.  I hope he did not find any person that would not take their part of it for fear that Uncle Sam’s bank would break.  We are on the left wing of the army here and our Regiment is called on every day for either skirmishers or picket and are engaged almost every day more or less with the enemy.  They have driven them to within one mile of the town of Corinth.  Both sides are losing some men every day.  The day before yesterday our Company and some other companies of our Regiment was out under the command of our second Major Applington with some of the Michigan Cavalry.  In a charge made by our battalion, Major Applington was shot through the head and never spoke.  He was carried off of the field by Liuet. C.F. Lee, G.W. Haley and the adjutant of our Regiment, Charles Wills.  Major Applington was one of our best officers.  Company “M” had one man wounded at the same time.  Jesse Tilley had his horse shot from under him, a cannon ball passing through his neck.  James M. Padon had a large hole made through his hat, just above the top of his head.  John Wall had his sabre at a carry (it being a sabre charge) when a ball struck his sabre and knocked it against his head and nearly knocked him off his horse.  Sergeant Breeze had his mare wounded by a shell that burst near him.  I could go on in detail several instances of some little interest to you at home, but will lonely say that the boys all came back with credit to themselves.  Yesterday the Rebels rather gained on our left and the report was that they were trying to outflank us on the left.  The Regiments in this vicinity saddled up and stood ready to mount at the signal from Headquarters, but after a time they were ordered to unsaddle.  The accounts of yesterdays work are so conflicting that I will not now try to give you the result, further than that our advance force fell back with some loss.  The 10^th, 22^nd, and 26^th Regiments were among them, but I have not saw any in either of them that can tell me who is killed or wounded in any of them.  This morning three companies of our Regiment were called out to scout with others, on the extreme left, to find whether they were really trying to outflank our division or not.  During the day they came in sight of some pickets of the 3^rd Michigan Cavalry.  They fired and fell back and the artillery fired at them, killing one many of Company “A” of our Regiment.  Our men had to charge upon them to save their own lives.  They charged close upon the guns before the gunners knew that they were our own men.  Had the guns been fired this time, there would certainly have been a great many killed, for the guns this time were charged with canister shot, which is the most destructive of all cannon shots.  It seems very hard to be shot by our own soldiers, but wherever there is such heavy bodies of soldiers as this is here, it is almost impossible to avoid such collisions.  There is no telling how soon the battle will begin.  I hope it will be over before this reaches you. It is possible that the rebels may repulse us.  I think not however.  I believe that we will drive them from Corinth.  I expect that it will be a heavy battle, but I do not believe that the loss of life will be as great as it was at Pittsburg Landing on account of the vast amount of Artillery that we have here.  Of the number of men here, you are as well posted or better than I am.  It is almost impossible for a person to comprehend the number even after being told unless they are well used to thinking about the size of numbers.  I have not heard from William Arnold for three days.  I am afraid he will die.  Foster Moon has again joined the Company.  He looks tolerably well, but he is not stout.  Our Lieut. McDonald is sick.  The Captain is also sick.  I have been quite unwell since my last to you, but I am quite well now.  The health of the Company is better than it was a few days ago.  The weather is quite hot through the day and cool at night.  It is getting late and you are tired of this.  I will therefore close by subscribing myself.

Your husband,

William A. Smith