May 24^the 1863

Near Vicksburg Missisipi

 

Dear Malvina

                        It is with pleasure I again set down to adress you a few hasty lines hoping this may find you and our little ons well I am sorey I could not write more frequent to you but it has been impossible to get a letter out of Camp Rest asured I will write as often as I can I have not received a word from you since I left home how glad I would be to heare from you. I wrote you a letter a few days ago informing you that we had been in one of the Bloodeyest fights of this war I beleive they call it the Battle of Champion Hills / our division that is General Hoveys Division done the hardest fighting our Regiment come very near being surrounded and captured Consequently we had to retreat a short distance and our men took to trees and fight on there own hook it being in the woods and very Hilly I picked up a dead Rebels gun and give some of them what they deserve I think. one I know I killed I hit him in the chin and nearly tore his head off our Boys stood up to the works like brave men poor fellows a great maney wer killed it was a horrible sight to see them falling all around and being shot in evry consevible manner I hope to God I may never witness sutch a scene again it is said / General Hovy cried like a childe to see so maney of his men killed he is a good and brave man our Brigade is at this time guarding a Bridge on Black River about twelve miles from Vicksburg this is the sixth day our forces have been beseiging Vicksburg and have not got the place yet there has been the heavyest Canonading there during that time that has ever been on this Continent it is terrific and makes the earth shake for miles around this is sunday but oh lord what a carnage closeby us the Rebels have been killed by thousands and are scatered all over the Country the Negroes are hunting them up and are Burying them our wounded are geting along very well /

 

tell Mrs Aspinall Westly is doing well and left the Hospital and is with us he will be entirely well in a very short time he was not shot halfe as severe as we thought he was at first he was hit with Buck shot it is not necessary for me to inform you in this who was killed and wounded as I give you there names in my other letter that I wrote to you I hope Vicksburg will soon be ours and then we may look for peace as we will have destroyed there Army in this portion of the Country and also the flower of of there army no more at Present hoping soon to hear from you. Yours for ever

                                                                        S J Keller

 

Mrs M E Keller

 

olde Billy is

well tell

            John

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