Danville, Mississippi

Sunday morning, Oct. 19^th, 1862

My Dear Wife:-

I again have the privilege of writing you a few lines in answer to yours of the 6^th and 7^th, which I received three or four days ago.  I have sent you two notes since then, one in a letter I wrote to Nancy and one in a letter that I wrote to Mrs. Henry Ballard.  You will no doubt receive this before you do the note in Mrs. Ballards letter, on account of the way the mail goes to Fosters Post Office.

My last letter to you was dated at Corinth last Sunday.  Since then we have been at Glendale a couple of days, then we came back close to Corinth, between Corinth and Farmington.  The word was there that we would remain there 30 days and reorganize and drill etc., but soldiers life is about as uncertain as the wind, for we stayed there but two days and received marching orders for Rienzi, but the order was changed and Company “F” was stopped at this place 9 miles from Corinth, near the Mobile and Ohio Ry.   There is no telling how long we will remain here, but I do not expect we will be here very long.  We have some forces at Rienzi five miles south of here.  I expect that the Rebels have Boonville, a few miles below Rienzi.  Boonville is where we went last spring after the evacuation of Corinth.  We are now brigaded with the 7^th Kansas, under Brigadier General Lee, second brigade of cavalry.  Lieut. Col. Prince is now in command of the Regiment and seems disposed to try to instill new life into the Regiment. Quartermaster Stratton too seems to have turned a new leaf and is now having supplies of clothing, blankets, rubber blankets etc. opened, that pleases the soldier.

I am glad that school has again started in our school house.  I hope you will send the children every day that you can.  I wrote to you from Town creek, Alabama and sent you some seeds of the Muscadine grape, did you ever get them or not.

It was none of our Company that John Boring saw at Memphis, for Miller of our Company was paroled at Huntsville and got here last Thursday.  The others had gone to Macon, Georgia.

I expect you had better get George to get a few new fence posts and set in by the side of the old ones and nail the fence to, so that it will stand up through the winter.  If you need any money, I could send you some to pay for any chores you need done.

I do not blame Davis for shooting Nelson.  Davis done right in killing him.  Had Davis done as Nelson done, Nelson would have shot Davis.  I sent you a paper a day or two ago with a paragraph or two marked, which I hope you will read, as you seem to be under a wrong impression in regard to the Presidents Emancipation Proclamation.  I was glad to receive the poetry enclosed in your letter.  O! such poetry.  A woman that can endorse such an article, ought to have her husband spared a thousand years.  I have pasted it in my Roll book out for any purpose.

Yesterday evening we held an election to fill the place of 2^nd Sergt. in the place of Sergt. John Bucannon, who was mortally wounded at Iuka, and John M. Hamilton was elected, then William L. McCord was elected to fill his place of 8^th corporal.  I have no particular news to write to you that would interest you.  You have seen the news of the fighting in Kentucky and know more about it than I do.  I expect that your uncle was in some of the fighting there.  There is yet a possibility of another fight at Corinth.  Should there be another attempt on Corinth, the result would be dreadful.  Hoping you are well, I bid you good bye.

William A. Smith