Camp near Booneville, Mississippi

Wednesday evening, June 4^th, 1862

My Dear Wife:-

I closed my note to you last Friday morning rather abruptly with the announcement that Corinth was ours.  The reason of so sudden a close was that I heard the bugle call the Orderly Call (I have changed my place) and I stepped over to Headquarters to get our morning report book and the Major said that Corinth had evacuated.  The enemy had gone and our Regiment should follow immediately with two days cooked rations.  I then closed my letter to you and Nancy and in a very few minutes we were in the saddle and our faces set to the south.  We did not pass though Corinth but left it a little to the right.  We however passed through some very heavy earthworks.  There is a mile after mile of trenches and embankments.  They had no doubt been evacuating several days for they took nearly everything with them, considering the very great number of soldiers that had been here.  They did leave thousands of dollars worth of commissary stores, small arms, ammunition, clothing etc. late in the evening we were brought to a halt by the discharge of musketry close to the head of the columns.  The enemy had erected a small breastwork on the bank of the Tuscumbia river and mounted four guns to protect their rear .  After some skirmishing with small arms, the enemy fired shells into our ranks, killing one man of Co. “L” and wounding another and killing one horse and wounding another so that he died the next morning.

It got so dark that we turned back up to the top of the hill where we staid till Sunday morning.  During Saturday our guns came up and shelled the woods so completely that the enemy withdrew, taking their guns and burning the river bridge.  Sunday morning we again marched and during the day we passed a little town called Danville and one called Old Town.

Along the road the ravages of war is painfully visible.  At about ten o’clock at night we silently formed a line of battle across a wheat field close to the place, for we expected that the enemy was in Booneville and supposed that their pickets would be out about this far.  We held our horses the balance of the night.  Early Monday morning we started and came to Booneville and found that the enemy had withdrawn from there during the night.  Booneville is quite a new village on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad.  At this place our forces captured and burnt a long train of cars loaded with muskets, clothing, ammunition and other military stores, also the station house filled with provisions.  This was while they were evacuating Corinth.  There was an immense lot of shot and shell on the train with powder and fuse and the explosion of the powder and shells scattered things all over the woods on both sides of the road.  We found one store deserted and quite a good lot of goods on hand.  This was confiscated and a guard place over it.  The tobacco and such things were distributed to the soldiers.  I got 5 plugs of tobacco.  There is another store but the owner was there and a guard placed at the door to protect his goods and he goes on selling at very good prices.  He gave me those two bills that I send you.  He has a brother that we have as a prisoner at Chicago.  He was taken at Fort Donaldson.

Tuesday morning we was ordered forward on picket guard.  In the evening we was ordered forward to reconnoiter.  We proceeded about five miles and met their pickets.  Our advance guard fired upon them and they fled.  We then formed a line and several of us deployed as skirmishers, it was about two hundred yards to the timber.  We proceeded to the edge of the woods and soon discovered their skirmishers coming cautiously through the brush.  I took aim and my gun missed fire.  The foremost man then fired at me and Sergeant Breeze fired at him.  We then fell back to the Company, having drawn their fire.  I think that Amos Moon and another of our skirmishers got a fire before they fell back.  We mounted our horses and fell in line with the rest of the Company.  The rebels then fired quite brisk from the edge of the woods, but they did not hit anyone.  We then fell back to our post and stood picket through the night.  The enemy came up after us and encamped about a mile from us.  Their pickets fired several times during the night, at some imaginary Yankee I suppose.  In the morning we again took up the line of march and in about half a mile came to their pickets.  They fired and retreated.  Then we came to their main force.  They retreated taking two different directions.  We followed those that had gone the road we had traveled the day before.  They dropped several good shot guns and three or four revolvers, which our advance guard picked up.  After passing some fields, the enemy made a stand in the edge of the woods fronting the lane that we were coming down.  We charged down and they fired upon us and made a show for a fight but before we could wheel into line and fire, they fled.  Some of the head of the column fired, but killed on one.  The enemy killed one horse and wounded one Lieut. of the 3^rd Michigan Regt.  We moved forward into the woods but they did not return the attack.  As we came back to this place we met several regiments of cavalry and some small Barrott guns going out, but we have not heard from them this morning (June 5^th).  This is rather the hardest spell we have ever had.  We have been in the saddle almost day and night for the last ten days, scouring the country in every direction.  If I had know that it would been so long before I could write to you, I would have tried to answer your letter at the time I answered Nancy’s, but will try to answer it in a day or two, if I get my trunk.  It is in the old camp near Corinth.  I have not saw a paper for some time, and do not know what is going on any where, except in our own division of the army.  I do not know what the right wing of this command is doing or where they are.  You can of course tell more about we are doing here than I can, but I can tell you of the scouts etc which we take, which I know will interest you almost as much as the movements of any other part of the army.  In my next I will try to answer your last and I hope another from you.  I will then try to give you some little description of this part of the country.  I last night received a letter from Billy Marohl which I will answer as soon as we settle again or my trunk comes up.  As it is the bugle may sound “Saddle up” before I can even finish this and you know in that case there will be some quick saddling.  The letter enclosed, I picked up at one of the rebel encampments.  You can read it, then burn it.

As ever yours,

William A. Smith