DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | Andrew F. Davis papers, January-October 1863

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Andrew F. Davis papers, January-October 1863

02_1863-02-05-Page 02

There has been about 120 citizens with their families brought through our lines within the last 10 days who are on their way to Indiana and Illinois. They are the poorer class of whites and are all renters and the two Armies have stripped them of everything they had to live on and their only alternative was to either Starve or go north. What little stock they had and what grain they had if any was bought by our government and then passed through the lines North. Many of the men are deserters from the Rebs and will do anything to get out of their power. It would make your heart ache to see the poor hungry ragged looking women and children as they toil along on their weary march for a land of plenty. 
Our forces occupied Shelbyville yesterday and drove the Rebs out without much opposition and it is said that they are falling back to the Tennessee river. We are making preparations here to give Mr. Bragg a warm reception if he choses to call on us here, but I think he will not come. I can give no descriptions of the works they are building here, nor would it be proper to do so. They will have to be seen to be appreciated. All we hope is that Woods Division will be lucky enough to be able to stay in them for the rest of our enlistment if not sooner discharged. 
Things in the army I think are now going on in such a manner that it would soon crush the Rebellion was it not for the encouragement the Rebs are now getting from the political strife now going on in the north. You say now in one of your letters that the people say in Indiana that the soldiers from that state ought not to march any further, but turn around and go back and clean out the Rebs at home. That is poor advice. If they want them cleaned out why in the d-l dont they do it themselves and let us attend to the matter here or have they got the upper hand so much that the loyal men are afraid of them. Whers the Home Guards.

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There has been about 120 citizens with their families brought through our lines within the last 10 days who are on their way to Indiana and Illinois. They are the poorer class of whites and are all renters and the two Armies have stripped them of everything they had to live on and their only alternative was to either Starve or go north. What little stock they had and what grain they had if any was bought by our government and then passed through the lines North. Many of the men are deserters from the Rebs and will do anything to get out of their power. It would make your heart ache to see the poor hungry ragged looking women and children as they toil along on their weary march for a land of plenty. Our forces occupied Shelbyville yesterday and drove the Rebs out without much opposition and it is said that they are falling back to the Tennessee river. We are making preparations here to give Mr. Bragg a warm reception if he choses to call on us here, but I think he will not come. I can give no descriptions of the works they are building here, nor would it be proper to do so. They will have to be seen to be appreciated. All we hope is that Woods Division will be lucky enough to be able to stay in them for the rest of our enlistment if not sooner discharged. Things in the army I think are now going on in such a manner that it would soon crush the Rebellion was it not for the encouragement the Rebs are now getting from the political strife now going on in the north. You say now in one of your letters that the people say in Indiana that the soldiers from that state ought not to march any further, but turn around and go back and clean out the Rebs at home. That is poor advice. If they want them cleaned out why in the d-l dont they do it themselves and let us attend to the matter here or have they got the upper hand so much that the loyal men are afraid of them. Whers the Home Guards.