Linda,

Here are a few excerpts from letters written by J.K. Street who was in Company A of the Ninth Texas Infantry to his wife back home.

Dear Ninnie, Friday Jan 31st – we left Bayou Metre and went eight miles back towards Little Rock –(within 4 miles of it) and camped on each side of the railraod – having received orders from Gen Vandorn to turn our train over to the quarter master general at Little Rock and proceed by rail-road to white river, (this place) sixty miles from Little Rock and there take steam boat to Memphis.
engine worked in front and the other in the rear – night soon over took us and a darker night I never saw. I never was near froze to death in my life. It was sleeting and a keen east wind blowing in our faces and we were in grande prairie. We had 10 miles prairie after we had gone about half thro’ the prairie – the train came uncupled about middle ways. The engine in front went a head of the one in the rear with its portion of the train while the other was left behind with its and neither of the engineers knew but the whole train was to gether. I was on the rear car of the front engine, bro was on a seat next to me just in my rear. After we had gone within two miles of the timber the front train stoped to water – and the rear train came up at full tilt and not knowing as before said that the cars were uncupled it being so dark, it run right in to us. The car in front of the rear train was lifted off its tracks and ran up on the car that I was on. As soon as the rear train struck us I jumped off before the other car ran on to us and escaped unhurt, Bro was butted of hells over head in to a mud whole – lost his blanket he had around him and his gun but was not hurt. I held on to my gun and my blanket. Four or five of our Co were badly hurt none that you knew – two men got their legs broken and one got his arm broken. I suppose there was about 23 or 30 tolerbly badly hurt but none killed or mortally wounded. We were then in a bad fix – we struck out for the timber a foot, two miles off and as luck would have it we found al lot of cord wood and built good fires. The front engine was not hurt but the rear one was disabled – tender broken – that is the trick – she carries her water to replenish her boiler. All the cars that were not injured by the collision were brought by the front engine down to camp with out baggage and then the wounded were all put on one car and carried in to Devalls Bluff – white river – and the cars that had our baggage on then left with us. I got my tent and stretched it but could not get but could not my mess chest being that so many things piled up on it, to get at any ting to eat. Bro Hill gave me a small piece of meat and bread which made my supper, many had neither tent or supper. I got some meat and bread from John McKarten for my breakfast. I did not sleep more than an hour – kept fires all night and lay by them raped in our blankets.

This should clear up any question as to whether or not the railroad was operational during the War.