Camp near Corinth, Mississippi

Tuesday morning, May 20^th, 1862

My Dear Wife:-

I again take up my pen to address you.  I wrote you a letter the day before yesterday, but I think there will be no mail allowed to pass Cairo from here till after the battle of Corinth and there is no telling when that will be fought.  If you have not got any of my letters from here, you will get quite a bunch after the battle, for I write to you every few days, but I hope you have at least got part of my letters.  For in yours of the 6^th inst. you tell of reading mine of the 24^th ultimo to mother.  You tell about opening it before mother saw it.  Such conduct in you can not be forgiven.  I hope you will never do such a thing again.  It is very improper in you to open a letter to her.  Had I wished you to open it I should have addressed it to you instead of her.  I wrote one I believe on the 26^th of April and sent Scott a gold dollar as a birthday present.  I think that you have received it, for mothers letter was only wrote two days before.  Yours up to the 6^th of May have all been received but it took twelve days for the last one to get here.  I hope you have not quit writing because my letters do not reach you.  You may be sure that I will write to you at least once a week, and I want to hear from you as often as you can conveniently write. I know that John Foster could have wrote to me before now, since I sent him the package of money, but it is time for Eldridge Jones to have been here several days and I think John has wrote by him.  I have the Salem Advocate up to the 13^th.  I don’t see why my letters can’t go as fast as newspapers.  In my letters to you I have gave you none of the rumors of the camp.  I could write pages of rumors that would interest you, but camp rumors cannot be relied on.  You are no doubt already aware of that.  Since my last to you there has nothing transpired worthy of note.  There is some firing every day, and the battle seems to be almost commenced. The firing today is quite regular.  For several days there has been some irregular firing in the vicinity of Corinth, but it has got to be steady, today.  I rather think that the firing comes from the rebels.  We have some 64 pound guns that will support our center and I think the rebels are trying to keep them from being mounted.  It may be that the guns are our small guns, protecting the sappers and miners in mounting them.  You at home are better posted as to the general news of the move here than we are that are here.  With the promise to write soon, I bid you good bye.

William A. Smith