Transcribed and Submitted by
Teri Button
Great Great Granddaughter of Charles Hennrich, Company D.
Memphis, Tenn.
July 26, 1864
Dear Parents:
I want to let you know where I am. I hope that these few lines find you in good health as I, thank god, also am.
The trip went pretty good. I arrived in Memphis Thursday the 21st where I heard that the regiment would arrive in Memphis the 23rd. Our regiment arrived the 23rd and immediately marched about one mile outside the town and camped.
Our regiment had made a hard march from the 23rd of June to the 23rd of July when they arrived in Memphis. At Tupelo they had fought a three day battle where, on the third day, they scattered the rebels in all directions. Our regiment got thru it in good shape at that. They lost 27 dead and wounded, and these were lost as ours and the 32nd Iowa regiment made a bayonet attack on a whole rebel brigade. They knocked over a lot of rebels and chased them several miles. Herman Mollering and Peter Wendel were wounded in this engagement.
The boys for whom I brought along clothes were glad for they were all in need of them.
We will not stay here long as everything is being made ready for another march. Some say we are going down the river to Vicksburg again and several officers think that our division is to aid Gen. Canby. He wants to go up the Red River again. If we go there again then probably not many will come back because of the bad water, which we learned to know last spring. We will have to wait until we march and then we can tell pretty well where we are going.
Henry Waterman is still in the hospital. I was there yesterday and told him that he should see to it that he gets a furlough. He said that he feels pretty good and will come back to the regiment soon. I will go there tomorrow morning again and see how he is getting along.
Now I must close, with many greetings to yourselves and Watermans. Tell Watermans that the sausage tasted very good.
Michel Thein greets you and his parents. Greet Fritz Dock and his housekeeper. Greet Fritz.
Charles Hennrich
I sent a letter to Watermans the 22nd as soon as I learned that Henry was in the hospital. You can find out whether they got the letter.
NOTES: Charles Hennrich was separated from his regiment from the time of being wounded April 9th to 23rd July 1864. He was given sick leave to home from the hospital at Memphis. This is the first letter home after his return to duty. The battle at Tupelo, Mississippi occurred on July 14, 15, and 16, 1864. The 27th Iowa lost 10 men wounded on the 15th and 1 killed and 15 wounded on the 16th.