Camp at Shermans Landing

Youngs Point La. May 16^th 1863

 

Dear Brother & Sister

I will write you a few lines & let you know where I am and how I am getting a long. my health is verry good & you see by the heading of this that we have made a moove since I last wrote you. To day one week a go we marched aboard the steamer Crescent City and on sunday about 10 oclock AM we started down the river & on Monday evening we landed safe at this place We are within about five miles of the city of Vicksburg and with a good glass we can get a pretty good view of the city I was within 1½ miles of the city this after noon I jumped on a horse and borrowed a spy glass and rode down the river as clost to Vicksburg as I could get I could see a sentinel on one of the forts pacing his beat with his gun at a right sholder shift. I could see but a couple of their guns and but half dozen men and one woman in town. It looks as though it was evacuated. I took a bucket with me to get a few black berries or rather dew berries. The boys told me that there was a great many down there. I went in the patch and the ground looked black with them I never seen the like in my life. I suppose there is at least 50 acres in the patch and the ground covered with vines, and the berries are so thick on the vines that we can get 6 & 8 large ones at a grab. It does not take more than half an hour to fill a wooden bucket. I should judge there was at least 400 buckets full carried out to day & as many yesturday, and you could not tell / by going in the patch that there had been any [paper hole] out. There is also ripe plums here but there is verry [paper hole] trees. Also alligators & snakes in the swamps, which [paper hole] plenty. This is a verry low wet country with the exception of about Vicksburg. There was two other boats loadened with troops came down the river with us (that is they started with us, but our boat runn the fastest and they were left in the rear.) One of them was fired into by some guerrillas on the shore one was killed and some four wounded Our men shot at them off the boat and killed at least 8 of them at least there was 8 seen to fall The distance from Memphis to this place is about 400 miles and from Memphis home about 400. This seems to me to be pretty far from home. We are in a Brigade with the 88^th 130^th & 131^st Ills Reg^ts, we are in no Division. We are designated as the Ills Brigade and Colo M^cCown (our Colo) is our comder. Our Adjutant is acting as Brigade Adjutant & I have ben apointed as Regmental Adjutant until the Brigade is broken up. I like my new position verry wel so far better than I thought I would. I have a horse to ride when I want to go any place and do not have to go out on picket guard nor fatigue duty boath of which we have had a heap to do since we came here. There has ben over half of the Reg^t out either on picket guard or fatigue duty since we came here. The next day after we landed here & befor we got our tents up or any thing fixed the whole Reg^t was ordered out to work on the roads. We had to throw dirt on logs cut through the swamps so that teems could haul / provision for Grants Army below Vicksburg [paper hole] are fighting pretty hard down there in the neighborhood of Jackson Miss I heard this evening that Grant had possession of Jackson We can hear the canons most every day from Faraguts Fleet below and by going down to the river in frunt of Vicksburg where I was to day we can see a few of his boats When I come to think right we have heard the report of his gunns every day since we have been here. Yesturday there was pretty heavy firing for a while They were throwing hot shot into Warrenton for the purpose of burning it which feat they easily accomplished, some of our men were down and seen them shooting. Since Sunday there has ben quite a number of shoots fired from our gun boats I believe the last shot was fired at about 10 oclock It is thought that our boats will attack Vicksburg in the morning. There is reinforcements comeing down most every day, as soon as they land they are sent across to join Grant. There was 5 boat loads came down today I have not learned what Reg^ts they are. half of our Reg^t are on duty every day either picket or fatigue. We have received no mail since we have ben here. I do not know what is the reason

 

Well it is after 11 oclock so I must close for this time

 

Direct your letters to Youngs Point, Shermans Landing, Regt Co &c as before

 

Hoping these few lines will find you all in good health I will close by sending you my love & bidding you a kind good night                                

George F Glossbrenner

           

P.S. Doct Lodge is wel

 

[parenthetical note in another hand]

 

Capt. Co. "I" 63^rd Ill. Vols

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