Fort Halleck Columbus Keⁿ Apr 26^th /63

 

Dear Parents

                        I received your kind letter to day bearing the good tidings of your good health it found me well and doing the same that is as far as one can in the army you ought to see the boys flock together when the mail comes in and if they do not get a letter you can imagine their looks as they walk away to day is a very home sick day it has been raining all day and there is no amusement around camp some of the boys are making their calculations to be at home by the fourth of July / I do not know very well about it but I will hope for the best we got some very good news this morning three of our transports run the blockade at Vicksburg with out injury and they have blockaded the mouth of red river from which source the Rebels got all of their meat and General Grant not grant but Michel made (600) six hundred of the Rebels take the oath in tennesse at nashville [faded] on dress parade and [faded] many reports about [?] that a person cannot believe them all

 

Well I [faded] what to write[faded] / fresh news sources I wrote to you last week our Reg^t gets enough [faded] we are thought well of every where we go the General that commands here says we have behaved so well since we came here that he will exempt us from standing picket guard he wants us to guard the prison I tell you a fellow has to walk strait here for getting in the guard house here is no fun we have great times here catching Rebels the boat crew brought in [faded] he had very valuable papers concerning money  maters [faded] / let the cat out of the wallet and so they nabed him and brought him to the prison I tell you he is a bird of fine feathers. Well we have got back and I will finish my letter I commenced to answer your letter the night after I received yours but did not quite finish and the next morning we was ordered to start to reinforce General M^cniel at Cape Girardeau in M^o they made an attact on the place and there was only about 2,000 of our men there they fought three days with out any loss on our side of any importance they fought hard all day before we got there we got there about sun down we or the union forces took 300 prisoners

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