Well Cinda all the Rest have gone to Bed and are snoring and as I did not Sleep much last night and am Rather Tiard and A litle Chilly I must follow Suit But if I could hury this By writing I would write all night I Recd A Leter from Reuben & Delia last night they are looking for you very anxious But I am Sory they and Charleses folks live as they do they dont want me to Send any leters to them by Charles folks for Reasons they will tell me But I shall only write one leter to Springhill for them all at a time and they must do the best they can for my leters are long and I write one there one to Linesville and So on I think it Rong for Brothers Professing Christianity to act in that way and I am afraid it will attend to Lessin the Pleasure of your visit But you must not let it use them Both alike as near as you Can Side with neither one and let them know you think there is war anough in our once hapy Land without Brothers and sisters warring together They should live Like one family But Let them do as they Please they cant mix us in at all The Sunny South I supose is going up the River and I think my things will Be expressed home I sent 2 Books taken From Fletchers Plantation. A Small Carpet Bag Picked up on the Batle field full of trinkets Shot Pouch Powderhorn Rebil Bugle which the Poor Devil was so mad to give up he tried to Spoil it Texas Canteen Cartridges &c and there will Be another Box of some other Double Barrel Misshines and I believe I may as well Risk Charles to take Care of them as any One if he will Only keep his mouth Shut & I will Caution him I will write to him all about the things So that if you are not at home and he cant get in the house he can take them to Brockaways and Leave them till he Can get in. I dont want the fishes [picture of a fish: Fishes] to know all of my buisness and dont intend they will but hopeing you have heard my Leters and good news and wishing you Heavens Best Blessings I Bid you good night with A Kiss    Geo/

 

Sunday morning 10 A.M        My Dear Cinda it is another Sunday morning 4 Weeks ago to day I was in A Severe Batle 2 Weeks ago the Same To day I am Still in the hearing of the Cannon But not in quite as much danger I do not apprehend an amediate Batle and we may have none at all at this Place But I think Perhaps we may But I hope you will not worry about me But take Care of yourself and Pet that is all you Can do and if I am unfortunate you will know it quite quick anough I hope if you go last and have not gone you will not wait But go and make your visit I think they will all be glad to see you and you can injoy yourself I shall do the Best I can And when Spring Comes you must necessarily be at home as there Is a good deal that ought to be seen to I shall write to Charles what to do with any thing that may come home from me and dont you fret or worry I can tell from the tone of your leter you are haveing Lots of trouble I dont see but what I am getting along well and doing as well as any one could and why need you worry you know if there is any fighting I will try and do my Share for that was what I come for But I must close it has cleared up and is as warm as Summer it Commenced Raining just after I read my leter and has Rained ever since till this morning this morning we Captured a Rebil fery Boat and Several Prisoners So it goes But I am going to get out of the Service as soon as I can that is Sure You must write often and long Leters for you dont know the good leters do me—Well I have Just come in from Fatiegue duty but the mail goes at 4 well it is near that time and I must close Hopeing to hear from you Soon I Remain your Sincer husband Till death      Geo

 

                                    Kiss my Pet Good By till I hear again

[incomplete] as I heard of except kill my one man his name was Colonel Stewart on General M^cClernards Staff he was killed By one of their Shells But we have got our Bateries in Shape and to day we have give them hail Columbia They have 3 or 4 Steamboats one of them a Big Side wheel Steamer was going along to day and Our Cannon Plumped a Shell into her wheelhouse they have ben exchangeing Shots all day The River is Rising very fast and is now Running through the Canal But my private opinion is it will Prove A failure it is only a Ditch and is 2 miles long through a Swamp and very heavy timber Part of the way and if we Can change the Course of the Mississippi River it will Be one of the great wonders of the age But I fear it will Be more of a newspaper Blow than any thing else—To day we got our tents and Trunks Camp Cots &c Camp chest &c and have got them Pitched On the RailRoad for we expect the water will Soon Cover all of this Country the Railroad is graded up about 10 feet and if it comes above that you will hear of the 54 up a tree all of this Country Overflows in the winter and Spring dont you Recolect Mrs Thayer Telling about the high water well the further down the worse it is and I am Several hundred miles Below where she was—Well Yesterday we worked like the Old harry Tearing up RailRoad and diging Canal &c I like it full as well as fighting and they call me tollerable good at either But I have got So used to fighting I had—well I guess I wont Say it. But I would be excused if I could without Playing off and that aint my name as long as I can crawl half of our officers are Playing off I have no/help But I stand it first rate we have Bean Soop and fat Bacon and I am getin fat on it. But the adjutant has Just come after me to go to the Canal and I will Leave you a while till Evening (Evening). Well Cinda I have ben on the Raging Canal 2 1/2 hours and have come in had my Super and now I will Talk with you a while again. Did you ask what I had for Super well I had A Cup of Coffee A Camp Buiscuit & Cup of Bean Soop I feel first Rate I had much Rather Be in Camp than on these Boats—well what Shall I tell you about the Canal The nearest I can tell you is what you Can See on this map But hear I will give you another

 

[sketch]           North   Transport Landing      Levy    Gunboat Fleet            Mississippi River

Canal 1 1/4 mile         South   Rebil steamboat

Now Cinda you can see from this map an the other one how Vicksburg is situated from this side we have a fair view of the town all on the side of the River that we are is Lou Suanna ground and the Rebels have fine high ground and they intend to keep it by the actions

Rebel Battry Planted this morning 24 Jany

From Vicksburg to our Camp 4 1/2 miles

Batery Planted to day 24/63 This Railroad I hardly have ben able to Learn the name of it Believe it is called Vicksburg and Suesport Railroad

Camp              Hear our division is camped all along this Railroad

All along the river for a great many miles there is a levy thrown up to keep the River from overflowing it goes clear to Neworleans and how far up the River I cannot say it is Graded up like a RailRoad some 10 or 12 feet high

The Rebel Steamboat opposit to our Batery was huging along the shore but our Batery stove in her wheelhouse they have several Boats But I think they have no gunboat

our Bateries clost to the Railroad at the mouth of the drean are the ones our men have Planted yesterday and to day the Black one is our Big siege guns the one opposit is the one they Planted this morning to Prevent our work they threw Some Shell clear over our ditch But we will wake them up when we open on them with our Big guns—The bateries are about 3 miles apart—the River hear is over A mile wide and 3 hundred feet deep

PS that meeting house steeple isent quite as Long as represented it has fesseled a litle

SOURCES