Corinth, Mississippi
January 13th 1863
Dear Sister,
You have no doubt been looking in vain for some time for a letter from me and in your fancy pictured some great calamity had befallen me but fortunately I am once more right side up with care. We were ordered from Oxford on the 17th of last month to go to Jackson to defend the place against Forrest’s cavalry. [We] lay at Jackson some 4 or 5 days and started again. Took the cars for Trenton and then took up our line of march after Forrest’s cavalry again. Slipped up on them at Parker’s Crossroads [and] gave them a nice flogging and run them across the Tennessee River. Had Laller [Col. M. K. Lawler, 18th Illinois] come up sooner as he should have done, we would have captured every one of them but such seems to be the case—always someone too slow or, to tell [the] truth about it, too big a coward to get in a fight when it can be helped. In this case, Forrest’s cavalry was allowed to cross the Tennessee River with not more than ten thousand cavalry and make the different raids that they did make, cut off our communication & transportation for more than a month, and then make his escape in a manner without being molested.
Our brigade was ordered out with 3 days rations to get in his rear without tents or anything else. The consequence was we had to go about 15 days without rations except such as the country afforded but we made the hogs and chickens suffer. I thought we had saw hard times before but this trip excels them all. Three nights out of 4 we got ringing wet and no sleep which did not amount to the snap of a finger, not having a force to cooperate with us.
Had Laller [Lawler] got to Lexington 24 hours sooner, we would have captured his entire force. As it was, he got into Lexington just after Forrest had passed through so he escaped with only the little flogging we gave him at Parker’s Crossroads. In connection with traitors, the cowards we have in our army I have but little hope of ever crushing this rebellion. But enough of this. My three years won’t last forever.
I was in hopes I would get a letter when I got back from our cavalry chase in relation to my box but as yet I have not received any but heard through Lieut. Stoms that the box was at his father’s store yet which I suppose will be forthcoming now. It may be some of my letters was burned at Holly Springs as I understand we had a big mail burned there.
We have not been paid yet and no prospect of it. We now have 6 months pay coming to us but I will close. Write soon. — Tom
P. S. All well. My P. O. [postage stamps] all got wet on the march so I am left without one. — Tom
Bull Dog Fighting---the Civil War Letters of Thomas Hine, 39th OVI 