the

                                                                                           May 11 1862

 

I took my pen in hand to let you now that I am well and I hope this letter will find the same and the rest of the family that they may all bee well I most let you now what a sort of atime that we be had when we left ship I land we left there on the 16 of march then we started for the north river pass we got there that night when we got there we let go the anker to find out whether the warter was deap enof or not they found out whether the warter was not deap enof for us to go up that way we had a vesel in toe with us so we raisd/the anker then we hiched on too the ship then we went outoo the south west pass then we went on up the river until we could see the fleet they look like som gry booshes sticking up the mast of the morter boats was coverd all over with small bushes they was behind som trees so they that was in the fort they could not tell them from the bushes but they sunk one of the scooners but they got every thing off from it the man that was the means of giting them off from the scooner he was got his leges shot off then they said that they said that they had one hundred cild and wounded they say that/had but thurty men cild in taking the fort they was twelv days in taking the fort then the went up to the other fort they took that within afue ourses they took it then they was too boates on on one side with ten rifles canons they had three more on the other side they said that they was about four hondred wimen come down to see the yankes git whiped but they was about six ourses the guns boats was in taking them but they say that the rebles steamers turned around and run away as fast as they could back to the city of new orliens with our guns boats chaisen them up as fast as they could but the rivers steamers run the fastes so they could go/until they reached the city they took the city with firing ashot they was glad to see the fleet coming the rebles run away back intoo the woods then they went back until they came to the lake pouchitrane then they went across the lake I most let you now what a sort of atime we had on the boat then when we was there we had ordes to go back to the rear of the missippi steamer there we laid for one night then we had ordes to go down to the south west pass to toe the great republac then we had to wait thar the river to rise but the wind not bloe the rite way they wanted to hav the wind blow from the south but it dident so we hich on to the vesel to toe it over but the ship would not go over the bar so we left it then we went up the river then we had to come back down the river/

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