A letter from Sgt. Trent has been received from which – as it came too late for publication in full – we make a few extracts.
I think I before told you that I belong to the Engineer Corps. After writing my last we took a trip to Alabama, our corps taking the lead, most of the time, making roads & bridges over Rivers. Sloughs and creeks, which was no easy work I assure you. When we returned to Corinth, we commenced building barracks but were ordered to move to Cypress Creek, to build a bridge on the R. R. connecting Corinth and Memphis. We are now building an other over the Tuscumbia River which will take nearly 3 weeks to finish. We have 50 negroes and 60 whites in the corps. Bissals corps is at work on the Hatchie, a mile ahead, and 20 miles from Corinth. When these bridges are done the R. R. will be finished through to Memphis.
The Country here is low and Swampy except along the creeks, the banks of which are covered with Pine & Oak. Nothing of interest along the line except a R. R. cut through a hill, the hight of which from the rail is 90 feet; this cut is about one third of a mile in length, along which Iron ore is occasionally seen protruding from the banks.
The cars run down here every few days but have to be guarded by Soldiers, as the Guerrillas have been rather troublesome, but the Union Scouts keep them on the run, killing them and taking prisoners every few days.
yours truly,
T. A. Trent
- Published in the Union Sentinel, Osceola, IA, 13 JUN 1863
See Other Blog Entry:
Thomas Alexander Trent
I think I before told you that I belong to the Engineer Corps. After writing my last we took a trip to Alabama, our corps taking the lead, most of the time, making roads & bridges over Rivers. Sloughs and creeks, which was no easy work I assure you. When we returned to Corinth, we commenced building barracks but were ordered to move to Cypress Creek, to build a bridge on the R. R. connecting Corinth and Memphis. We are now building an other over the Tuscumbia River which will take nearly 3 weeks to finish. We have 50 negroes and 60 whites in the corps. Bissals corps is at work on the Hatchie, a mile ahead, and 20 miles from Corinth. When these bridges are done the R. R. will be finished through to Memphis.
The Country here is low and Swampy except along the creeks, the banks of which are covered with Pine & Oak. Nothing of interest along the line except a R. R. cut through a hill, the hight of which from the rail is 90 feet; this cut is about one third of a mile in length, along which Iron ore is occasionally seen protruding from the banks.
The cars run down here every few days but have to be guarded by Soldiers, as the Guerrillas have been rather troublesome, but the Union Scouts keep them on the run, killing them and taking prisoners every few days.
yours truly,
T. A. Trent
- Published in the Union Sentinel, Osceola, IA, 13 JUN 1863
See Other Blog Entry:
Thomas Alexander Trent
Letter from T. A. Trent - 25 July 1863
No comments:
Post a Comment