From the field desk of Captain C. A. Bodenheimer
8th Confederate "Skeleton" Cavalry, Gen. M. S. Haessly Brigade, 1st Division, Wheeler's Corp, Army of Tennessee
Calera, Ala
December 8th, 1864
To: General Wheeler
Tuscaloosa, Ala
Sir, I beg to report to you the actions of our regiment on December 7 and 8 respectfully.
December 5 and 6 of this year we pilfered a wagon supply train of Yankee General James H. Wilson, and garnered much needed supplies including food and new yankee blue blouses. We swapped out the tack on our horses with fresh gear and left a thank you note to our benefactors. Well the Thank you note was apparently received in poor fashion because on the 7th a detachment of men from Wilson's Corp, the 20th Kentucky and some Alabama Unionists, came upon the town of Brierfield in Bibb County.
The Yankees were harassing the women with local home guard came up from the furnace to meet them face to face. We missed this part of the skirmish, but after hearing the fighting we came upon the enemy with our flag furled. Our new sparkling blue uniform tops on, we tricked the enemy into thinking we were their reinforcements. Surrounded we hit the enemy and began a hit and retreat hit and retreat until we joined up with the home guard and local townsfolks. I'm beginning to dig these guerrilla tactics and beg of you to re-designate us as partisan rangers (more on that in a latter letter).
After a half hour battle against the Kenturkey Yankees we pushed them off the field and out of town. Merriment was had by all and a well deserved thank you from the local ladies was even more enjoyed that evening. One of the more largest families opened their home to us for a party, only to be interrupted by a few rambunctious Yanks during the darkness. The Yankee officer in charge demanded our surrender to a loud raucous roar of hilarity by our men. I must admit, Sir, that I answered his demand just as befits that of a yankee. Sir, I bared my heart and soul out to this gentleman from up north and saved the evening of fun. In layman's terms, I stood on the steps of the front porch and bared my arse and told him to kiss it.
Sunday the 8th, the yankees returned and outflanked us. Detachment of the 7th Kenturkey Cavalry showed up before the main force. Those men looked familiar but they were so far from us we couldn't quite tell, but an unmistakable laughter told me it was the notorious Doc and Undertaker. Fighting men on 3 different front around the defenses, their movements during the night we kept hearing paid off for them eventually most of the men were lying wounded or killed.Lt Toner of the homeguard put out the most spectacular death I have ever witnessed. A letter he needed to recite as he kept being shot over and over again flowed from his upper orifice with such eloquence that it even stunned the blue bellies. After about 10 minutes of reading this letter he had written, the enemy shot him once more. We had picked up a yankee deserter who after firing against his own men picked up and ran back to his old unit. I do think the yankees shot him as well.
We took what was left of the available men, the wounded, and a few of the local ladies back towards Calera this afternoon, which is why I'm submitting my report. I will await here for further orders and rebuild our ranks with local secessionist.
Your humble servant,
Captain C. A. Bodeheimer