Camp in the field near Booneville

Wednesday night, June 11^th, 1862

My Dear Wife:-

We will march tomorrow morning at 6 o’clock and I may not have the chance to write you for several days.  I hasten to drop you this note to apprise you of our move as I always do when it is possible.  I wrote you yesterday and have nothing new to write unless I had more time to write.  Our mail today did not reach us on account of General Pope moving early this morning.

W.A.S.

Jacinto, Mississippi

Monday morning, June 23^rd, 1862

My Dear Wife:-

I hardly know how to being to write to you, for I have wrote several letters and notes to you since I received one from you.  I think your last was dated 22^nd of last month.  I wrote to father two or three days ago and enclosed a note to you.

I send you an order received from Lt. Colonel Prince who now has command of the Regiment.  Colonel Kellogg having gone home.  You will take it and go to Mr. Hamiltons and show it to John, then go to aunt Lucy Jones’.  If Eldridge is still at home and read or have it read to him and if William Arnold has got home, you will also see him and read the order to him.  If he is still at St. Louis you will get some of his friends to write to him without delay.  By doing this you will save me the trouble of writing a notice to each of them.

I believe that Eldridge has done wrong in staying so long.  Should he get here in a few days it may be all right.  I have been looking for him some time.

I have been expecting a letter from Miss Hamilton for some time.  I wrote to her about a month ago and sent John five dollars.  I think she has certainly wrote before this time.  I also enclosed a note to you containing a dollar bill.  You have certainly acknowledged the receipt of it before this time.

Last Saturday and Sunday we went on a scout about thirty miles south of here down the Fulton Road.  We learned that there is a large force at Fulton.  Turning west we crossed the Tombigbee river.  It is here about as large as the Okaw at Vandalia.  The bottom is rich, matted with cane, and some pines through the Gum and other timber.  This pine is the best timber that I have yet seen in Dixie.

I wrote to Billy last night.  I would like to see him.  I received a letter from John Foster and one from Dave Nichols and one from Mr. Moon.  They seemed to be drop letters, I think they was sent by hand.

On the Tombigbee river we found where the enemy had been encamped quite strong and learned in the neighborhood that they left there on last Thursday.  They had some cannons there.  Passing on to Marietta we found that the rebel soldiers had left there a few days before and burnt a lot of cotton there.  I was detailed to take notes and distances and sketch the roads, and I would if had time, write you something about what I saw and heard, but I am now busy almost day and night.  We got into a neighborhood where the citizens was not looking for us and I had some fun hearing them curse the Yankees, then tell them that ours was the Yankee troops and you ought to see them open their eyes.  I was at a spinning factory at Bay Spring and talked to the proprietor and his wife.  She is a nice smart woman.  I swapped the Salem Advocate for the Mobile Register, which I send you.  He wrote the address on it himself.  I do not know why I do not get your letters.  It must be on account of our army being on the move first one way then the other way.  I hope that todays mail will bring me a letter or two from you.

For the present I hope you will excuse me.

William A. Smith

P.S.

I send you some of the seeds of the Hackelberry.  It is a small fruit about the size of currants, but some of the bushes grow as high as your head.  I think if you can get them to grow, you will be well pleased with them.  You will as soon as they are received, prepare a little flat bed about six feet long and one foot wide and plant them in about four or five places, then take some bushes with the leaves on and stick them along the sides of the bed so that it will be partly shaded to keep the sun from entirely killing the seeds.  I think they will come up next spring.

Tell me in your next about those seeds I sent you from Camp Butler.  How are they getting along.

Dave Nichols letter tells me of the marriage of Elizabeth to Noah Cruse.  I hope he may be as good a husband as she deserves.  I think she will certainly write to me now.  It has been some time since I received a letter from her.

William A. Smith.