Tishomingo-Rankin County MsArchives Military Records.....Settle, Foster May 1863 Civilwar - Letters ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/ms/msfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Lanelle Hanke lhbham@yahoo.com July 10, 2005, 7:13 pm Civil War Letter (One page of a letter that may have had more, found in the attic of the Old Williams House in Iuka MS c1965 by historian William L. Coker - looks like old- fashioned lined tablet paper. Possibly written by a Foster Settle. See notes for possible date of letter based on battle mentioned in letter) ============================= Our Men Picked up Some 20 Guns a few Canteens and one or 2 Bludy Caps and Coats Which had been torn from either Dead or wounded Men. They Carried off their Dead & wounded. There was 3 of them that was Shot Down who were in advance upon the whole Co. I had a considerable Battle. As it pleased God not one of us Rec a Scratch. One of our Boys Tom Loony had a ball shot into his haversack which was hanging to his Side. The Ball passed through a tin plate a case knife & stoped in a pse of Bacon. That was the Clostest Cut I have ever seen yet for no one to be hurt. That night We fell Back from Jackson and are now Some 30 miles East on the Jackson & Meridian R Road. Reports Say the Yankeys has gone back to vicksburg. They have had ample time to come on us if they chose – Some thinks grant will of wrote against Mobile, others thinks he will concentrate at corinth so as to communicate with Rosencrantz. Well Bettie on last Sunday I washed all of my clothes. We stoped to rest & cook (backside of page) Rations. So I gathered a kettle & put off to the creek. I made a nice job of it. I had been hiring negroes to Do my washing. But when a Battle is on hand Negroes are as scarse as hens teeth. Every Negro that belongs to the Army Generally Scampers and you Don’t See one for a week afterwards. I had been wareing my clothes 3 weeks & laying in the Ditches. Just Imagine a hog in a mud hole and you have my outward appearance. Well I Suppose Mother is with you. I hope you will have a good time. Bettie make me a Cloth Hat & Send it down to Mr. McDougals & he will Bring it Down. I will Send this letter By him. Cloth hats has gotten to be all the go. They are only worth 20 Dollars – Homemade Cloth with a Quilted or corded Brim. Give my love to Bro & Sister and if Ma is still with you also to her. I rec a letter from Fayette. They are at Chatanooga. Excuse my letter. Write Soon & believe me as ever Your Uncle Foster Additional Comments: Foster could have been a Settle or a Peden. He was the uncle of Bettie Settle (b.MS), daughter of Mary Isabella Peden (b.SC)and William Settle. Bettie later married John Williams (b.NC) and had three daughters who never married, and one son who did. The Williams lived in Iuka MS. The Fayette referred to in the letter was Lafayette Settle who, with brother John Talmadge Settle, had joined the Corinth Rifles 9th MS Vol. Inf. Regt. CSA. Since Foster refers to Lafayette, I believe he was one of the Settle brothers, sons of William and Isabella Settle. If anyone has information otherwise, please let me know. As to the possible date of this letter, on May 14, 1863 Grant captured Jackson MS, then went on to Vicksburg. The writer could be referring to that battle. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ms/tishomingo/military/civilwar/letters/settle3gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/msfiles/ File size: 3.8 Kb