Letter from E.W. Mudge to his mother, March 24th, 1862

Camp Smith near Corinth

                                                                                                                                                March 24^th, 1862

Dear Mother, Dr. McKelvey has just been up here to see me and some of the other guys before he goes  back to New Orleans) which will be tomorrow morning.  He told me he would take any thing I had to send with the greatest pleasure and so I will take this opportunity to write to you all as it is now seldom that a mail goes or comes in and from this town of  Corinth as all the trains are taken by the government, and a passenger

train passes but seldom. We have as you will see by the reading of my letter returned from picket duty which was three miles nearer to Tenn. River than we now are and glad we all are to get back for we had a pretty rough time of it out there with but little to eat from the government as we are not allowed to buy any thing from the farmers now shoot their guns off so any foraging was put a stop to and I had to share like all the rest (poorly) though we all got fat for it so I do not guess it did us any harm after all but on the contrary did some of us a great deal of good for some of the boys started out there half sick and returned perfectly well.

 We were at one time within three miles of the enemy but retreeted to their gun boats and are now on the other side of the Tenn. River. We are fortifying this place Corinth very strongly and I do not think the Yankees will attempt to attack us here. Gens. Beauregard Bragg and Ruggles are now here with several Brigadier Generals, so we are pretty well off for leaders.

              We are now trying to get a band of music for our Regt. but have not yet succeed though we have four or five men already. The way we get them is this we go to all the Companies and ask if there are any musitions

among them if there are they ask them to volunteer which they generally do as they are then exempt from military duty.

We are the only Regt. around here with out a band and we ought to have one as we are able to support it if it would cost $1000 a month as that would only be $1.00 a month apiece for there are 1000 men in our Regt. now as we had an Alexandria Company of over 100 men join us the other day.

              With much love to all & remain your off Son & Brother

E.W. Mudge

this must answer for all