Colonel Lyons.
Stevenson, Ala., Oct. 18th, 1863—It has rained for several days. The roads from here to Chattanooga are terrible, and it is almost impossible to keep the army there supplied with provisions. Lieut. Wemple has just been there with a part of his company, to escort a drove of cattle. It took them six days to make the trip. They had to swim the streams at that. Our cavalry have driven Wheeler across the Tennessee river at the Muscle Shoals, and are now down that way at Flint River recruiting their horses, fifty or sixty miles west of here. The 5th Iowa Cavalry are with the expedition. Col. Lowe has command of a brigade. They will be up here in a few days.
Yesterday we celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the 13th’s enlistment, it having been originally mustered on the 17th of Oct., 1861. We ate large quantities of cove oysters on the occasion, at the Alabama House, a dirty, one-horse eating house here
The whole army of the Cumberland is being reorganized, and we do not know anything about where we shall be assigned. My opinion is that there will be no general engagement here for some time to come, if at all.
We are led to believe that Sherman’s Corps from Vicksburg is on the way here, but we have no definite knowledge about it. The old 8th is in that corps.
