Friday, January 7, 2022

Captain William M. Duncan to Mary Morgan Duncan, September 15, 1862

Sept. 15th

We removed from our camp to Springfield yesterday.  This is a beautiful place for camping.  I really don’t know how many troops we have here, but suppose from eight to ten thousand.  Gen. Brown left here, with 8,000 troops, for Vernon, he was met by the rebels and driven back: he came into town last night about nine o’clock.  About the same time heavy firing was heard at the southwest; and the supposition was that after the Gen. left his troops, they turned on the enemy and had a fight.  The firing was kept up till 12 o’clock, but we have no word from them as yet.  By the way, this Gen. Brown is not well liked. His troops that are in the regular service despise him; they think he is “secesh.”

All the troops, and all the farmers, merchants and mechanics that are inside of the pickets have to work on the entrenchments this morning. The prospect is pretty fair for a fight.  The enemy are said to be approaching in two columns 30,000 strong—our force is much less.

– Published in The Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, Saturday, October 18, 1862, p. 2

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