Brother To Brother

Why I did not write to you I was waiting to see what they are going to do with us. I was in hope we should know before this time. I should have been taken prisoner in the first charge if it had not been for the man who slept with me. He pulled down the tent and would not allow me to get out. So I lay under my tent till they were leaving the camp, then I crept out and gave them a good bye shot. There shots fell thick and fast around me for a while but none touched me. We followed them into town were one hundred men fought them from 4 in the morning till 12 o'clock at noon. After we surrendered the rebel General said private property should be respected and we packed up our clothes and put them on our company wagons. The rebels burnt our tents and everything that was in them that they did not want. We were marched 22 miles then put up for the night and the next morning taken 3 miles beyond McMinnville. The next day they paroled the whole party except the commissioned officers they are to be sent to Atlanta, Ga. The night at McMinnville they took all our clothes from us and broke open the officers’ trunks and took everything away, they did not leave us as much as a shirt to change. We arrived hear yesterday morning, we heard that exchanging has been stopped. The camp now has 11,350 men confined there. All are anxious to be exchanged we have sent several petitions to Secretary Stanton asking to be exchanged, but no attention is paid to our petitions. I have wrote to the Captain to go to General Commanding the Western Division to have us exchanged, but have received no answer yet. I only wish we could get out of this place. Never have I been as discouraged as since being here. Everyone is dissatisfied all want to go home or be exchanged. So their is continual growling,. We are entirely out of money. The rebels took all my clothes they did not leave me anything except what I had on, I have no change and I am pretty dirty. Harry Snyder is situated worse than I am, he has no shoes. He has come about 800 miles barefooted. If we do not get exchanged I shall try and get a furlough from here for a few weeks. Farewell for now. Write soon Francis