Camp Muddy Creek
Nov the 17th 1863

Dear wife

I take my pen in hand this morning to inform you I received your letters sent by the hand of. B F Virms yesterday, which I perused with pleasure and would be glad to get one from you every week. They found me well and harty although I had Just gone through some ten days hardships and exposure, not eating any bread for four days at a time, boiled beef. alone without salt or grease.

We are doing better now, as our forces had a fight on drupe mountain some few days ago which resulted in a complete stampede of our forces engaged. They were overpowered and flanked, our loss are not so great as was thought after the fight, or mess, as they call it. We had only 30 killed and about one hundred captured. Our force was only 2000 while the enemy were about 11000. Our regt protected the rear of the retreat from greenbrier to monroe, which had like to have been perilous. We blockaded the road, burnt bridges and tore up things in general, anything to impede their progress was thrown in the road. They came up with us at the first blockade and fired on the men that were cuting timber in the road. By the appearance of the 16th thrown in line of skirmishers they were driven back to the river and we completed the blockade.

I have been over the battlefield since the fight. The sign is very plainly to be seen among the threes whare the canon ball has neatly cut down.

I seen one dead men on the field and the graves of several more, also several horses lay dead in the road.

The enemy destroyed everything possible in their way. Their stay at Lewisburg were only 2 days and nights, the stole everything in the country. They mounted 400 men on stolen horses at Lewisburg. They took off all the negroes in town, broke up all the cupboard ware they could get there hands on, pulled the ring off the fingers of the ladies of Lewisburg & plaid hell in general.

Dock brought the cakes you sent me which were very acceptable with me.

Some of our boys witnessed a very strange sight last week, a soldier shot at the stake for desertion to the enemy, which I think was just right. We are expecting to start to Russell & Tazewell in five or six days hope you wont be disappointed in the expectations. I will quit for the present.

Yours & c
I V Reynolds