Mandsfield La, April 15th, 1864

Veary Dear Cousin,

I am once more permitted to write you a few lines I have just been in a big fight I was in the fight three days the day the 7th I was skirmishing with them the most of the afternoon and the 8th we had a generall ingagment with I supose about 30,000 yanks in a few miles of this place our force was about 20,000 we drove the yankees that day about five miles and on the morning of the 8th we commenst the fight again we fought them all day we drove them about ten miles and camped on the Battle ground the next morning the 10th our cavelry drove them to Red River we captured between five and six thousand prisoners we also captured two hundred and fifty Waggons mostly loded with comisarry stores and Ammunition & we also captured twenty five Avalanches and forty two cannons We lost about five hundred killed and about one thousand wounded the Yankees loss is suposed to be five to our one we lossed severall good men My Colonell was wounded in three places and has died since the fight there was between sixty or seventy killed out of my Regiment the loss in the compnay I belong to is only one man killed and three wounded I broke my horse down the second day of the fight so I thought that no excuse to keep from fighting so I joined the infintry and fought with them through the ingagement I was with Henry while I belong to the infintry He came through safe he is well now and was in comand of the company he belong to when I left him I saw cousin Henry yesterday he was well he belongs to the Quarter master Department but I supose he will go back to his company before long Well Salley I will not mention my feelings while runing over the dead wounded and dying but am glad to finde it no worse than it was our Battle ground was from fifteen to twenty miles in lenght and dead men and horses were strewn all the way.

Generall Green was killed while fighting the Yankees on Red River he was with us all the while and helped run the yank to Red River I learned that our Boys are using the Yanks just about right along the River I understood that our boys have captured severall Transport boats and that our boys was about to git a gun Boat from them that the River is so low that the Yankees could not do much with her I have heard some more good news but I am fearfull it is not all true so I will save it untill next time the Yankees was aiming to come right through to Texas but low we made Old Banks go back in Double quick some of the Yankees had Austin Texas or Hell wrote on their Hats. Old Banks Army is badley whiped this time he him self got wounded in the Arm Well Salley I will stop writing for the present as I have not time to spare Give my love to all and tell my friends if they wish to hear from me to write as they all have more time to spare than I do there is severall of the boys wanting me to write letters for them Direct by way of Shreveport Louisana Buchel Regt 1st Tex Cav Co K.