Moscow, Tennessee

Sunday, November 23^rd, 1862

My Dear Wife:-

I again address you from a new place.  Last Monday at noon, we received marching orders for this place, ten miles west of Lagrange on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.  There was but four companies of us came at the start, to do all the cavalry work for ten or twelve thousand infantry and artillery, which you may know made it pretty hard on us.  Day before yesterday was extra hard on us, getting into the saddle at two o’clock fore breakfast.  Then before noon, the forage train of the infantry was attacked, and off we went and run the enemy through Mount Pleasant, Miss., 11 miles from here, only getting a few shots at them and retaking a few of the miles that they had captured from the waggons, making more than 40 miles rode in the day and eleven of them on the run.  We was that night joined by the balance of the Regiment.

I yesterday receive your letter dated 8^th of Sept. (August you have it). I can’t tell where it has been all the time.  It was mailed at Salem, Sept 11^th and received at Cairo Sept. 12^th, then again stamped at Cairo Nov. 19^th, with no other marks on it.

John B. Sim returned today from the hospital at Mt. Vernon, Indiana.  He is like most others that go to the hospital, returned as fat as a buck.

Corporal Goodbrake, our recruiting officer that was taken prisoner 22^nd of August, turns up in Washington City, others at Providence, Rhode Island.

My health is quite good now but I feel a little sore from our late hard scouts.

John M. Hamilton and Amos Moon are still expecting their discharges.  Felix W. Arnold has not got out of limbo yet.

You will give my respects to Miss Colburn, tell her I wish her success in her vocation.  Give my love to our mothers.

William A. Smith