From the 18th Iowa

Aug, 16th ‘64

Mr. Caverly:–

After a long delay I improve the present time to write you.

In the First place I will give you a limited description of the country; though I may fail to give it its just due, for soldiers have a peculiar dislike for Dixie. I will however say this much – that there are some places here that look very fine and handsome; good facilities for making farms, building houses, barns &c., but most of the land around Fort Smith is very rough and hilly. The mountain scenery is beautiful to look upon, but much of the country is good for nothing else. Ft. Smith has been a flourishing town, and considerable business was transacted there before this war commenced, but like all other southern cities it is justly doomed, and this because ignorance of the people. They have suffered themselves to be misled by politicians who would sell their interest in Heaven for a “nigger.”

If h—l yearns for wicked men, surely the d---l will get has hands full when Jeff Davis, Tombs, Vallandigham, Mahoney [sic] and their co-laborers get their reward. Oh, what a fearful doom awaits them! Had I ever been a Universalist I would now be compelled to believe that there ought to be a place set apart for such men. I wonder if the copperheads of the north think we soldiers take no thought of them? If they do they are much mistaken, for we have our men picked, and the day of settlement will surely come.

The boys of the 18th are in good health generally. Our regiment will give Abraham a handsome majority. We all think that Fremont has acted the part of a dog. I have not yet heard a man say he will vote for him.

I believe that about four from every company are going home on furlough this fall. We are all in a bad humor about the rebels taking our mail, and killing some of the escort. They ran on the mail party on the 12th inst., and killed ten of the escort, and captured the rest. The rebs were from 700 to 1000 strong. The escort numbered only 43. They got over a thousand pounds of mail matter that belonged to Ft. Smith.

No more at present. I remain your friend.

W. W. Reese,
Co. I, 18th Iowa Infantry

– Published in The Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, Saturday, September 3, 1864