CIVIL WAR - GREAT BATTLE LETTER FROM SOLDIER IN 1ST WISCONSIN CAVALRY.
Lengthy, 4 pgs letter, approx. 4-7/8" x 8", datelined Camp of 1st Wis. Cav., near Marysville, Tenn., Feby 2nd, 1864, from C.P. Goodrich, First Wisconsin Cavalry, to Sgt. William Bowers, at Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Bowers was a member of the 1st Wis. Cavalry & a good friend of Goodrich, & was at this time on detached recruiting duty in Wisconsin.
Includes original transmittal cover with black KNOXVILLE / TEN double circle postmark & #65 3c rose. C.P. ("Perry") Goodrich, who became Sgt. Major in the Regt., saw action in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Battle of Chickamauga, the Atlanta campaign, incl. the Battle of Resaca & much more.
An excellent letter, with superb battle content re the Battles of Dandridge, Tenn. on Jan. 16-17 & Fair Garden or Kelly's Ford, Tenn. on Jan. 27th.
Includes: I wrote last to you while we were at Mossy Creek. We left there, I think, on the 14th Jan. & went about 10 miles to the southeast to Dandridge on the French Broad River. On the 16th, we had a skirmish with the enemy in which one of Co. 'L' was killed.
Our forces were being massed at this point; Granger's whole Corps came in that day and a great deal more of infantry, cavalry and artillery. Everything seems to indicate that we were to have a heavy battle soon.
On the 17th, the enemy moved up in line of battle within three fourths of a mile of our camp, and our Brigade was ordered out to meet them. We went at a brisk trot, the 1st Wis. ni advance, up within 60 rods of the enemy & under a murderous fire, prepared to fight on foot. We charged up the hill at the rebs, but the 7th Ky. on our right, broke & run. the rebel cavalry..came down with a rush around to our right upon our led horses.
The Ind. regts. had not yet got up & we were surrounded by four times our number. At this critical moment, the 2nd Ind. came up & charged mounted on the rebel cavalry, which fell back as rapidly as they came up. The 4th Ind. now came up & dismounted; the 1st Wis. reformed & they both together pitched in again, but the numbers of the rebes had greatly increased. Hampton's Legion had joined them & we were met by a line of infantry four deep, having greatly the advantage of position. No single line of dismounted cavalry could withstand them & we again fell back.
The 1st Wis. suffered much more than any other regiment in this engagement. Our loss was 32 in killed, wounded & missing. 3 killed, 15 wounded & 14 missing. Chas. Dodge & Sherman were wounded...Capt. LaGrange, while 2 or 3 rods in advance of his men, urging them on, was shot through the thigh, shivering the bone; his life was despaired of. At one time, just before the 2nd came up, a great many of our boys were prisoners. Hurd & Wilson had surrendered their arms and Frary & Woodworth had just agreed to surrender, when the 2nd charged in & they all escaped. Lt. Bateman was taken off half a mile, but he pretended to be wounded so that he could not walk further & they let him go. Sergt. Townsend, Co. 'C' is a prisoner. My horse was shot under me when we first came up. Of course, I then went in on foot. I lost everything I possessed in this part of the world, except the clothes on my back. I expected that on the next day would be a heavy battle. Only our Brig. and a regt. of infantry had been engaged, while 20,000 more were close at hand, but for some reason, were not brought in. But that night, the whole army commenced falling back toward Strawberry Plains. We have heard that there has been some pretty hard fighting at the Plains & that the rebels were repulsed. The Cavalry fell back clear to Knoxville, crossed the river & went up on the east side to within a few miles of Dandridge again.
All these movements seemed mysterious, but they were no duobt meant for some good purpose. For several days we maneuvered around in that vicinity, keeping in close proximity to the rebels.
On the 26, 27 & 28 of Jan., there was considerable fighting. We were engaged the two last days.
On the 27th, we drove the enemy some 10 miles, the 1st Wis. taking an active part charging in furiously & scattering them in a perfect rout. That day, Col. LaGrange led the 4th Ind. ni a charge on a battery of 2 guns & took them. Lt. Col. Leslie of the 4th was killed in that charge. The next day, we rather got the worst of it. The rebs laid a trap for us. After fighting awhile, they fell back to where they had thrown up breastworks. The position was such that we could not use our artillery...While in the midst of the fight, Gen. Sturgis, Chief of Cav. here, was ordered back. From that time till night before last, we were marching to this place by a circuit to the left, which led in among the highest, toughest, wildest mountains I have ever seen. The rumor is that Knoxville is again in danger, that the rebs are within 4 miles of it...
VF