New Town La July the 22^nd/63

 

Miss A Cook

                        Dear Friend I received yours of June the 26^th wich was read with the greatest of pleasure I was glad to hear from you all once more and to hear that you was all well I have nothing very interesting to write I expect that you have heard all a bout our fights that we hav had since we hav bin in this State I hav bin in 3 or 4 fights with Sesecionistes since I writin to you we had a fight at bur wix Bay on the 23^rd of last month we taken 15 hundred prisners and captured bout 5000 dollars worth of property such as cloathing and provisions of all kinds we then marched on the ft Butler wich is on the Mississippi River not a great ways from Donelson vill and thair we attacked thim on the night of the 28^th bout 3. Oclock in the night / When we had orders to charge thim we war one thousand yards from the fort every man raised a yell and started our poore Boys fell as tha went I could hear thim hollowing and see thim fall in ever direction we charged thim so far off all of the men thar gave out by the time we got to the fort the yankes had every chance at urs in the world they war well fortifide rite on the bank of the river and had 4 gun boats playing on urs all the time we got to their brest works and a great meny went in side the ft tha had to fall back with a great loss I do not now our loss our loss was a great meny the loss out of Siblys Bregade was two hundred kild wonded and taken prisners we lost 9 out of our companay kild wonded and taken prisners I will now give you thair names Bob Davis kild Ed Sims kikd T A Austin killed John Turner wonded in the arm and side / he was the only one that we got out B L mullens wonded in the hand Warn morgan James Blackshear elam allbritin F S Chapman those 4 are all missing tha warnt hirt tha last that we saw of thim brother Henry and my Self was boath in the fight and went through Safe and sound thair was three men shot down rite by me one just be fore me and and one on my rite and the other on left one fell up a gane me I thought the next time was mine though as luck would hav it I never got hit our companay was in a scirmish a few days a go and som of the boys war sent out in a corn feald on picket and one of our boys are missin his name is Kenom Cenom it is surposed that he was taken prisner thair is a great deal of sickness in camp at this time though the helth of our companay is very good at this time / we hav bin travling ever since we hav bin in this contry we are now on our way back up Red river to Washington or Alexandria I do not now for sirtine wich I am getting very anxious for this War to com to a close I surpose that the yankes has taken fort Hudson and Vixburg with out a dout I reckon that La is the worst torn up contry that you ever saw and som as mean peopal in it as every in any contry when we first came in to this contry tha peopal wouldent hardly speak to a soldier then when the yankes got in a mong thim taken thair negroes tha got so tha could speak to a soldier and gave som a drink of warter and that was more than tha would do be fore it was franch creo say that the yanke got all me chickin all me nigir and took up all me mule de yanke mean I think that it has hope som of the peapal in this part of the contry gave my best respects to all I am a fraid that I wont get thim peaches that you promised to save for me I will close hoping that I may receive an answer soon I remain your true frind untill Deth                            T B M^cClendon

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