Letter From B. F. Burke to His Parents - October 27, 1862

Knoxvill, Tenn.
Oct. 27, 1862

Dear Father:

I once more seat myself to write you a few lines to let you know that I am still among the living and am in pretty fair health. We have just arrived at this place (Knoxvill) fair health. We have just arrived at this place (Knoxvill) only a few days since from a long and wearisome trip up in Ky. Our main army went up as fare as Bardstown, though the advance & scouts went up within a short distance of Louisvill. A portion of our reg't had a fight with the Yankee cavalry in about 14 miles of Louisvill. Gens. Bragg & Smith accomplished all they intended to do in Kentucky, I think. I don't think they went there with the intention of holding the state, but merely to get all the provisions & clothing they could of which they got a vast amount of both.

Bragg only had one battle of any consequence in Ky. and that was fought at Perryvill on the 8th of this month. It was a very hard fought battle in which the loss was very heavy on both sides. Our loss was estimated at twenty five hundred in killed, wounded and missing. While on the side of the Federals, the loss was estimated at eight thousand in killed and wounded. The canonadeing was very heavy during the whole day, heavier than at Shiloh, I think. The small arms were never engaged all day, but very furiously for about six hours. Our force engaged was about (13,000) thirteen thousand. The enemy was something near 30,000. We drove them back about two miles and slept on the battlefield. They did not come on the next day our forces were drawn back Harodsburg about ten miles from Perryvill. From there the general retreat commenced. The Yankees pursued our rear pretty closely, all of our cavalry were thrown in the rear so you may guess we had a pretty tight time of it. We had a fight evry day with them and had to stand under fire of their canon, though lost but very few men. Our reg't done the greatest portion of picketing. They pursued us some seven or eight days or to within about a day's march of Cumberland Gap, and I have not heard anything more of them since. We left a sufficient force at Cumberland Gap to hold it and the ballance of our forces are here and on their way to Murfreesboro, Tenn. And I understand some of them are ordered to Tupulo, Miss.

I see it reported in the papers that Price and Vandorn had a battle at Corinth, Mississippi and rahter got hte worst of it or was compeled to fall back on account of the enemy large reinforcements. The Texas troops were cut to pieces awfully. I think our cavalry brigade will leave here in a day or two. I think we will be ordered to middle Tenn. somewhere. We got several thousand recruits in Kentucky but the Union spirit is pretty strong throughout the state. The Bush Whackers in Ky. pick a good many of our men off. We have run in among them frequently. The weather has been very cold for the last two weeks. It snowed all day yesterday and last night though it is very fair today.

I now have to come to a close. Please excuse this much un-connected letter as I have written it a very much of a hurry. My love to all.

Good by.
B. F. Burke

 

Heard, Jessie Burke, ed. Terry Ranger Writes Home: Letters of Pvt. Benjamin F. Burke Written While in Terry's Texas Rangers 1861-1864. No Place, No Publisher, 1965. (Available in the University of Houston Library.)

 

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