HENDERSON COUNTY, TN - LETTERS - John C. Smith to wife Lucinda J. Payne Smith, 17 Jul 1864 ----¤¤¤---- NOTE: John Culpepper Smith had an interesting writing style that precludes any ease of reading. He did not seem to see the necessity of inserting capital letters at the beginnings or periods at the end of sentences or double letters as in today's usage. I have edited the following transcript by applying capitalization and punctuation to facilitate interpretation. The spelling is his own. - RGE 2003 July 17th 1864 Dear Lucinda I again take the present opportunity to write to you a few lines to let you know I am yet safe and well & for which I feal a thousand times thankful for we hav had another hard battle for three days which commenced on the evening of the 13th. Our regiment was in the fight for the three days in succession. On the knight of the first evening fight the yankes fell back about two miles and a half to Tupelo. Next morning by sun rise the yankes was a firing a gain. By one or two hours the fight was thick and heavy neither side gained any ground. Our regiment was in the engagement two or three hours getting a goodly number of men wounded and several killed. The killed and wounded not yet ascertained. The third day we made a flank move on them and caused them to retreat about four or five miles. The yankes then made another stand and we had another hard fight. Our regiment was in front in the (Back page) last evening fight. The yankes is still falling back in the direction of Memphis. I hav not fired a gun in this last fighting. I was a regular detail to carry off the wounded the whole time which was a very fatiguing business. Thoms horse fell down with him on the third day of the fight and sprained his wrist some. That is all the hurt he got. When we get settled and I hav time I will try to give you a foler actcount of the last battles. I hope this will find you and the children well, I hav to quit. JC Smith (At the bottom of page 2) To L J Smith We are near Harisburg will move soon were to I cannot tell. I expect to come home the first chance. Write every chance. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: R. Easley ___________________________________________________________________