Franklin County: Henry M. Erisman to His Brother,
November 1, 1862
Summary:
Erisman provides a description of marching and camping in snow. He also talks
about skirmishes, including one with General Bragg and Kirby Smith.
Abe Erisman
Nov. 1st 1862
Bowling Green
Dear Brother
I now take the oppertunity of writing these few
lines to you to inform you that I am well hoping that they may find you all
Enjoying the same blessing I Recieved a letter from
you some time ago but I never got a Chance to answer it for we have been
Marching ever since we stoped at Pinch Him Slyly on
the 25th of oct. and our
Tents came up to us there. the first time we saw them since we left Battle Creek
which is 2 month and five days ago and we had just got them Pitched when it
began to snow - it snowed the whole night and in the morning the snow was about
6 inches deep. [added: it was] the luckyest thing Ever happened us that they did come for
it was an awful cold night
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we had four days skirmishing in which we
lost over 100 men Mike Huffnagle was among them but we heard since that he was
Paroled. Buell has been superceded by Rosenbrans Hambrights Regt is now about 2 or three miles behind us they
form Part of the left wing I see [unclear: Nood Everly] often he looks
first Rate and is doing well Hambright's men are sattisfied that the Rebels Dont fear gun
Powder and they say they Dont care wether they get in another fight or not they say they wanted to get
into one fight and they had that so they would just as soon not get in any more
- they fought well and its no telling how the Battle
would have went if it hadnt been for the 79th
Penna and the 1st
Wissconsin for the 24th
Wisconsin were supporting Terrels Battery and they Ran the first fire and
Hambright had to make a flank
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Movement and [added: thats] where he got his men cut up so I [deleted: what]
dont know what forces were fighting on the Rebels side
for there was a dutchman of the 24th
Ala. that Deserted from Bragg's Army and he told us
that Bragg & Kirby Smith was looking at us
crossing the Mountain at Lawrence Burgh They
had us Pend on the Mountain for about four hours. they
attacted our Rear and thought to draw us out
There was only our Division but Sills was to sharp for
them he hurried on the Teames but they made out to get
16 of our wagons and 551 Prisoners out of the Division 75 our of our Regt the Dutchman said that Kirby smith had 35,000
under him and that Bragg was laying there with a heavy force, he didnt know how many but he said
that Bragg had 52,000 under him at one
