Ark. Benton Co. Sugar Creek Camp  March 14, 1862  Dear Brother & Sister I rote you a fiew days  ago onse since our last battle but as maile  matter is vary unsertin I will write agane I hav   writin to you or som one else in that visinity evry  opertunity that I had of sending a letter Our trains   have bin cut off both ways by the enemy So our maile   was cut off two at least we don't git but little   Well all is quiet in this part of Ark at present   but how long it will remaine so is not for me to   now or say  The last account we had of Prise   and his armey he was on the other side of   the Boston Mountins 20 miles from hear making   his way towarge Fort Smith as fast as his men   could make their legs carry them Well I hardly   now whear to comense or what to write as I   have rote you part of the pertickler conserning   our fite and I have now doubt but you will   reade long before this reashes you a better and  a more corect account of affairs than I can give   but what i saw with my one eys I now as well   as any body and I hear a grate many things   that I beleave to be true, I will tell you how   our Batery is divided We have six gunes and a   caison to each gun One Sergent to each gun



who has comand of the gun one caison   cald a Detachment two corpels, one sites the   gun he is cald the guner I will give you   the naimes of my men and if after this you   shold se any account of our Batery or of the kild   Corpel Wm Leberet guner I think the best  in the Battery Privet Starkweather John Gabby,   Wm Halstid R Black Gustavson a swead he   was kild in the first attact by a canon ball and   Wm . Seldin was wonded by a pease of Shell and   John Eastin, a driver, wonded all at the same time   or nearly so in the first attact at the same time   I had a ball to to Pass my side through my   cantean but not totching the flush, Well the names   Elit Fraisur AG Wiles T. Rease John (?)Wickelson   Six Drivers Sam Everet H. Day, John Easton on   the gun Sam Morison, Dusenbury Bathalemy on   the caison D Halsted & AG Wiles was wonded by   a team running over them just as we was going   Battle so I lost ther servis throu the hole Battle  thay ar both well now I don't think was vary bad   hurt at first but a good excuse to get out of a hard   plaise My Drivers let the team run a way that   was hitch to caison turned short left brake off   thi long left the caison on the feald neither   a team to draw it off one chist blode up by a   canon ball passing throu it Well it was a hot   plaise for a bout two hours I didn't have any



ida the dangers position we was in thog I didn't   hardly expect to git out as will as we did for   the canon balls musket and grape shot and peases   of sheles was fling as thick as haile a from two   Bateries that stood on the hille but a bout   fore hundear yards from us [?] peases of   our Battery only to meat thim the other two   was movd on the rite and was vary near being   takin, one man kild thay was the rite Section  The Senter and left Sections to gether   I was in the Senter the left soon lift the   fieald Rees Barens under Sergen Balinger in the  Senter Section was kild a bout the first fiering   he never uter a word he fell close by whear   I stood Sergent Balinger soon had to take   his pease out so I was left a lone and the   ofisers all wounds and taken a way but   Cournel Car siting on his horse with   one hand shot earging me to cease firing   that we shold soon be releaved by a nother   batery it came but left a gane before I got   my gun out and a good reason for it for we   got a ganst a tree and colden get out with out   leaving our gun and we wold every man dead on   the fieald before thay shold of got the gun   Well we retreated back a bout halfe mile or more   was rather whipt but the fiting was ceapt up all  day after we went back and rested a while we



went at them a gane and ceape it up till   after dark then retreatid Back to camp all   hungery and weary Nothing to eat Sense the   day before Nothing that nite but a little   mush and a little meale for horses up the   next Morning at 3 O'clock and started out   to the Battle fieald tooke our Position waited   til day lit about sun rise the firing com-  -menst We was soon routed from our position   but tooke a nother one with two other Baterys   by our side and after a bout two hours firing   The enemy comenst retreating We followe up   for a mile The Rebbls run in evry direction   throwing a way ther gunes Som braking them   round the trease thay had a grate many   of our men prisners and in the excite-  ment thay left them and [?] after thay   had gone two? miles thay left som and   went on. Our Men came on back and report   well we was well near whipt but victor is   oures yet We ar hear waiting recrute a littl?   and repaire our coreag and get some reinforse-  ments thin go on It is reported that we   got a bout 93 hunded [?] of armes and a nomber   of peases of artilery I haven't heard My helth is   good Dave Engear is not well he wants to go home   I must stop writing I dont now how long we   will stay hear or whear we will go when we leave   Write often Sende me papers as oftin as you can   we hardly ever see a newse paper Send to to st. Louis   to be forward to this Battery  My respects to all  enquiring fiends   Wm Vanzant