December 17th, 1862

Camp Near Abbeville Miss. Dec. 17th 1862

Dear Mary,
I take my pen this morning to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well, hoping that you are all enjoying the same blessings. We are having very beautiful weather, clear and sunshiny , but cool and bracing.
The health of the troops is excellent. The roads are in fine condition for traveling and from all accounts, we will be marching again soon, perhaps tomorrow. It is expected that the railroad will be so far repaired that cars can come to our little town today. They came so near yesterday that I could hear the whistle, and it is not much damaged this side of the river and it will not take long to repair it.
Reports from the front say that our troops occupy Grenada and report further says that our next stopping place will be 40 miles beyond that place. Quite a large scouting party have gone out today, consisting of a portion of the 11th Illinois Cavalry, and a part of our battery. I don’t know exactly what they are up to, but suspect there is some devilment afoot. I wanted to go along but I couldn’t get to go today. We have got word that the rebels had been driven from Fredericksburg, but don’t know whether there is any truth in the report or not. It is also reported that we are to be paid off the first of January. This is about as welcome news as any we have heard lately. There will be six months pay due us at that time. I recon you begin to want some money by this time don’t you Mollie?
I have got no news from Darby for some time, it seems that our mail has got behind some how. Some of the boys are just now getting letters dated Dec. 1st. I expect that they will begin to get letters by the dozen soon. I don’t know that I can think think of anything more to write at present. O yes, you will remember that I wrote you while at Iuka, that five of our boys were taken prisoners. Well just before we left Grand Junction, three of them came back, viz. Hulsizer, Sparrow, and Nixen, they all were paroled at Florence, Alabama. They had all been confined in jail at that place for sometime, and about two weeks before they were paroled the other two, Leslie and Shumaker broke jail together with a lot of sucsesh deserters and made their escape. A day or two ago Isaac Jolly got a letter from Leslie giving an account of his experiences since he was taken prisoner. After they broke jail, they struck north as a matter of course. They got into Tenn. And were taken again, but were paroled again. They started again and again were taken prisoners, their paroles taken from them and they were sent back to Florence. When they got to Florence, their paroles were returned to them, they were then sent to Iuka, and from there to Corinth and from there they went to Camp Lew Wallace, 4 miles north of Columbus, Ohio.
The last we heard of those who came back to us, they were as St. Louis enroute for Columbus also, and I suppose that they have all got together again by this time.
Well there is another thing I have thought of, I have heard that Capt. Myers* has got his commission back again, if such is the case the probability is, that our company will be reorganized again before long. I expect that we will have to go to Jackson, Tennessee to reorganize, as our old guns are there and a large number of the men are there also in the 14th battery. It maybe that we will have to go into some other department of the army as grant commands this department and Hurlbut is in command of the post at Jackson and Myers and his men are not very favorably disposed toward those distinguished generals. Well Mol, I have got this sheet about full at last, hoping to hear from you soon. I subscribe myself truly and affectionately yours.
Milt.


*He was mistaken, although Myers used the newspapers and political connections, he never received his commission back and never saw service again.