Myron Mullett
Company F, 26th Iowa Infantry
“‘Tis my candid opinion that the next thirty days will tell a pretty bloody story in the history of the war. If it’s not ended in that time, there will be some of the bloodiest battles fought that was ever heard of, for the Rebels are falling back and concentrating their forces together and they will have an overwhelming force of men and then our men are getting almost crazy to get at them for some of them swears they would wade in blood up to their chins to whip the Rebels out…” Myron Mullett, ca late 1862 or early 1863
Dated Circa late 1862 or early 1863 and before Vicksburg–
Sheet No. 2–
You said you were comfortably situated and living by yourself. Well, I am glad you are so comfortably fixed and I hope you will enjoy yourselves first rate. Eat apples, drink cider all you want, if they are to be had for the money. For when I get my pay again, I shall have a little to send you and I want you to enjoy it. Enjoy yourself any way if you don’t I’ll make you when I come back.
You wanted I should tell you how I get my washing done. Well, Pett, I have to get My to do it for me. He does it very well under the circumstances and in fact he has to do everything for me, for if he didn’t not one else would for it’s everyone for himself, and I have about made up my mind that if Uncle Same won’t try to take care of his men, I shall try to take care of myself.
Yesterday I got some flour and shugar [sic] and made some cookies. They went first rate and when I was down White River, I got 3 or 4 ears of popcorn and today I have made some corn candy and I wish you had a little ball of it. It was a great treat amongst the sick men. I have them a little lunch around and they thought it was so nice. I made it of shugar and a little of that molasses that you gave me, for I have got that battle yet and about one fourth of the molasses and I have to 4 or 5 of them onions left yet that I brought from home. When I get rather off the hooks, I eat a little molasses or an onion, but they are about played out. But if I don’t get sick I will try and get enough of something to eat. If it ain’t so good, I will try and get enough such as it is.
Well, the boys have had a tolerable good time they say. They did not have any fighting of any great account. They had a few men wounded, but none killed and are all coming back. They have brought back several mules and horses and Rebs—all prisoners, and eternal lots of contraband. Niggers they tore up some railroad and some other brave and daring exploits too numerous to mention. The fact is, I rather guess twas about like the White River expedition. I believe I gave you a description of that already.
Brown and Ben Conery was down here and made me a visit the other day. They were both well.
”
It is now evening and pretty cold and my fingers are to much like sticks to write very well, but I thought I would try and finish my letter and put it in the office tomorrow morning. I wrote a letter to Uncle James and one to Mr. Ely and put in the office this morning. I told Mr. Ely to get five hundred feet of lumber to finish the fence where I had them poles nailed on and turn it on the cattle and then if you take them back you will pay him for the lumber. I will now bring my letter to a close. I would try and write the rest of this sheet if it wasn’t so unpleasant sitting here in the cold, but I suppose we must get used to it, so I may as well write a while longer.
I believe I shall try and see if I can’t get a team to haul some logs and try and fix up a little log hut where we can have a little fire. We should have done it before now, but we did not expect to stay here any length of time when we came here, nor do we now. For we are able to be called away from here at any moment and in fact expect almost every day to hear the orders to march, but still it may not come for several days and perhaps even weeks and maybe longer, but ‘tis more than likely that another week will find us on the march again for there is work here to do and we are the boys that have got to do it!
There is some men came in with our men that deserted from General ?. They say the Rebels fairly hate the name of the Iowa Boys—let alone seeing them. One of them told me that at Corinth and Iuka, they fought to desperation on both sides. George and Bill was at both places. George is within about seventy-five or eighty miles of here now, but ‘tis all Rebels between him and here. I would not wonder if we should all get together at Vicksburg for there will probably be a little fight there that will wake the Snakes.
Vicksburg is a large place on the Mississippi side of the River and about three hundred miles below here and at soon as the water gets high enough in the river to suit our own boats, then we’ll give ‘em hark, but there is some small towns that must be taken first, but they are of but little account as four shells from our artillery soon cleans them out and pits them to fight generally. ‘Tis my candid opinion that the next thirty days will tell a pretty bloody story in the history of the war. If it’s not ended in that time, there will be some of the bloodiest battles fought that was ever heard of, for the Rebels are falling back and concentrating their forces together and they will have an overwhelming force of men and then our men are getting almost crazy to get at them for some of them swears they would wade in blood up to their chins to whip the Rebels out.
The fact is they all want to get home and they know that the war has got to end first, and they want to do what they have got to and have done with it, but there is to much speculation in our headmen that they are making too much money out of this war to have it stop, as long as they can help it.
But just let them speculate and I notice some of them gets enough of it, and I hope the balance may make up their minds to do better, and that soon. But let the darned Officers go to [Hell] where they belong. I’m not going to write all night about them for they all have good comfortable quarters with a stove and are comfortable as can be. They don’t think as we poor beggars are froze nearly as stiff as a mackerel. But never mind, Pet, all’s well that ends well. And I hope this war may soon end and will write soon and Dear Ida, don’t get discouraged. Be a good girl and I will make your dream out to be a mistake if I ever come on a furlough or any other way, and I will try and take care of My and keep him out of bad scrapes at least.
Good night Annie.
This from your sweet heart way down in Dixie….My”
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