The following letter was written by George Homer McIntyre (1841-1924) of Co. C, Mississippi Marine Brigade (MMB) Cavalry. George began his military service in Co. C, 32nd Wisconsin Infantry but then volunteered to take a transfer to the MMB Cavalry early in 1863.

George’s obituary is posted below. It reads in part: “Mr. McIntyre enlisted in August, 1862, at Markesan, with Co. C. 32d Wis. Infantry. Later he was transferred to the First Mississippi Marine brigade, acting as a scout to police the great river against the Confederate Guerillas. He served at the siege and fall of Vicksburgh, under Gen. Grant. His war record was a brave and unblemished one, but malaria and ‘swamp ague” got the best of him physically, and left him with nervous debility from which he had suffered bravely for 50 years.”

For the best description of the Mississippi Marine Brigade and its activities, see The Civil War Diaries of Almon Joel Pierce—an archive that I transcribed in May 2024.

T R A N S C R I P T I O N

Vicksburg, Mississippi
January 21st 1864

Dear Rebecca,

I received your kind letter and was glad to hear that you was well. It found me well and happy for we had just received orders for to turn over our arms and everything we had that belonged to the U. S. and get ready to be mustered out of the U. S. service. There has been seven companies got their discharges out of the regiment and gone home and there is only three more left and mine is one of the three. We will get out in two or three days if nothing happens and when I get my discharge, I will take the first boat up the river for I have got enough of the Sunny South to mast me for a while, If the Lord lets me live and nothing happens more than I know, I will be at home by the time you get this letter. So when you answer this, you can direct to Princeton, Wisconsin.

Dear Rebecca, this is a little better than I expected—for me to get out of the service so soon. But it does not hurt my feelings a bit. The reason of our getting out so soon is this. When they took our boats away from us and put us on land, we did not like it for we did not enlist to do land service but marine service. So we sent in a petition to the Secretary of War to see if they could make Marines do land service and when he looked at it, he issued an order to muster us out of service for her did not think that it was right for us to do land service. So the commander here at Vicksburg had to obey his orders.

Well, Rebecca, it is getting pretty late and I must close. Give my love to all of your folks and to Mon = folks and tell them to write to me and direct to Princeton for I think that will be my headquarters as soon as I get out of this. It will be for a while at least. This from your true friend and well wisher. — Geirge H. McIntyre

To Rebecca A. Farris

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