Bird's Point, Mo., December 11, 1861.
Our cavalry brought in 16 prisoners to-night, about 10 last
night; a band of Thompson's men took a couple of boys from our regiment
prisoners, out 10 miles from here at the water tank on the railroad. The owner
of the house happened to be outside when they surrounded the house and he
scooted down here with the news, and by 2 o'clock we had a lot of cavalry and
infantry en route for the scene of action. The cavalry started them out of the
brush and captured this 16. The Rebels killed one of Colonel Oglesby's men.
They did not recover our men but started up and lost another gang that probably
has them.
We will be in our quarters next week although we don't need
them. It is rather pleasant here now. I took a swim yesterday. ’Twas confounded
cold, but I wanted to bathe so I took the river for it. We haven't had a man
complaining in the company for a week. We buried one poor fellow last week, but
he would have died at home. When I was home last I weighed 142, now I weigh
160. Can you imagine me.
SOURCE: Charles Wright Wills, Army Life of an
Illinois Soldier, p. 48
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