Camp near Vicksburg Miss

June 21^st 1863.

 

Friend William

                        As I have been waiting about a month for an answer from you I will just write a short letter to find out if you are alive. I think I wrote to you about a month ago. perhaps you havnt received it. if not I am sorry. I should realy like to hear from Westford presume you would like to hear from me also. we are in a different place than we was when I wrote last. we were in Kentucky where I wrote last. now we are in Mississippi. we are about 12 miles from Vicksburg / we were in sight of the great city two days. it is quite a large city I should think by the looks of it. we landed on the La. shore and stayed one night. the next morning we had orders to pack up and be ready to march. we went about 4 miles took the boat and went across the Miss. River into Warington. stayed about half an hour came back again pitched our tents. after we had got them fairly pitched we had orders to move again. we went back where we started from in the morning. so you see thats the way to crush out Rebellion. after having a good nights rest we took the steamer and went up the Yazoo River. went up about 20 miles near Hynes Bluff. we layed in the boat over night got up in the morning went on shore in the mud 3 or 4 miles down. Well we march up over the Bluff about 4 miles on Sniders Bluff / then we pitched our tents in the woods. it is a very pleasant and cool place. I like the encampment very much indeed. yesterday we heard heavy cannonading all day. our folks shelling Vicksburg. I understand they had a hard Battle but have not heard the particulars I do really hope they will clean out the Rebs and burn up the city. I think the Rebs have better advantage than our folks do. The city is on a hill which cannot be hid. one of our boys counted 200 guns yesterday in ten minutes yesterday morning when they were shelling. I call that pretty quick work dont you? they commenced shelling before daylight and kept it up all day. they are at it now. I can hear their deadly weapons ring through the woods. they make rather savage noises. I dont like to hear them at all. I heard plenty enough of them / at Fredericksburg and the shells came near enough too. I dont care to see another such Battle as that again. Well Billie I dont know what to write very interesting. I wish you could see with your own eyes that I have seen and heard. I think your blood would run cold. I will tell you an instance that occurred the other night on the boat. there were two men scuffling on the wheel one of them sliped went down ship 12 feet. he fell on a bayonet. it went in his thigh through it in his body. Oh it was a horrid sight to behold. we aint safe in any place. we are lyable to be killed at any time. there is so many guns all around us some of them loaded some of the men are very careless indeed. Well you see my sheet is almost full not much news either I havent much news this time any way I have written in a hurry you can see. Page 1^st turn over. 

 

I shall expect to hear from you soon. I have waited long enough please write soon. Give my respecks to all. to Fred H. I will put in a word to Georgia therefore I must close. Good Bye                

 

From   Edmund P. French

 

P.S. Direct your letters to Lexington, Ky. via Cincinnati Ohio.

 

[margins] How does Jeda get along, give my love to him. tell him to be a good boy

 

I will send you a little posy.

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