Millikens Bend, La.

April 30^th, /63.

 

Dear Mollie, I wrote you a letter the the 27, or rather the 25, it went out the 27. I spoke of geting our pay & of sending you some money. I sent you 26 dollars, one dollar in ten cent currency. it is all together. I thought I would send it so that you could see how it was made. I sent it by the pay master to St Louis. it was sent to Sol Garrison. there was over three hundred in the packege. in my last letter I sent Lillie a gold dollar. our army has all gone down the except our divition. I cant tell how long we will stay here. they have been fighting 2 days. they crossed the river about 10 miles below Vixburg. they are driving the rebels from one to 2 miles a day we can drive them into their / fortifications & then comes the hard fighting. if we can cut of their suplies we shant fight them behind their breast works, they will halfto come out & then we can whip them every time. I have heard the cannon roar all the forenoon.

 

I cant write much this time for the mail is going out in a fiew minets. I am well with the exception of my eyes. they are about the same no more this time,         O Shibly

Mollie Shibly

 

May the 1 /63 I did not send my letter as I expected so I thought I would write a litle this morning we had marching orders this morning. we are going to gard a train of amunition & provition through to Cartherige about 10 miles. we are going to leave our camp equipige here. they think / they will be back in 3 or 4 days, if not we will move our camp. I understood last night there was a mail come but I have not seen it yet. I want a letter before I send this out. I think I will stay here in camp, for the sun is very bright & hot & it hurts my eyes. the last letter I wrote to you was a good long one, so you so you must excuse me for not writing much this time I wrote to Henry & to Mother I want you to write to her as often as you can. May 2, /63 we got a mail this morning but there was nothing for me I have not had a letter since the 23 of April, but I think we will have another in a fiew days & then I will look for two or three. 

 

we have boxed up a lot of our clothing to send home. I think we will express it from here. it will cost more than it would to send it some other way & it will be more apt to go through. we send it to Sol Garrison. my clothing is in the largest box, 1 over coat, 1 pair pants, 1 blouce, 1 gray double blanket, my cap is in my blouse pocket. Johns name is on a peace of paper on all of them.

 

no more this time,

From Oliver

To Mollie Shibly

 

my respects to all who

may in quire

From A Soldier.

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