Jan 2^nd 1863

 

                                                                                                            friends at home

according to agrement I now take my pencil to let you know that I am alive yet we have had a hard time of it since we arrived here we landed about 6 miles from Vicksburg the 26 of dec and marched out about one mile when we were attacked by the Rebbles we drove them in and returned to the boat the next morning we went out agane when we got out about a mile and a half they commensed firing on us from in front to attract our attention till they could get to our left in apiece of woods where they could get within 10 rods of us we were watching them in front when the firing from the woods commensed the balls flew like hale we were ordered to lay down in a ditch there was some tall scratching for it I tell you in about five minuts our artillery was in possition and commensed / shelling the woods this continued about an hour when the secesh skedadled to there fortifications after dark we fortified this place and in the morning started agane towards Vicksburg agane we had not gon more than 20 rods when they attacted us agane we were drawed upin line of battle and fired about 75 rounds apiece when we were ordered to charg on them and drive them from the woods which we did under a heavy fire from there rifleman they retreated about half amile to the hills and commensed shelling us with 4 twelve pounders untill this they had not used any artillery and we supposed they had none the firing continued till dark this was sunday that night we built brestworks agane the fighting commensed early the next morning and in the after noon our brigad was ordered to charge the batteries we throwed off our knapsacks fixed bayonets and started it was about three quarters of a mile to them they had fell all the timber for about 80 rods and we had to climb over it / when we came in sight of them it seemed as though the y very hills turned into canon and belched fourth death upon us hundreds fell at evry discharge the ground was allmost covered in some plases we charged upto there first line of brestworks when we were ordered to fall back there was some tall running about that time all that were able to run maid there heales twinkle in the air when we got back we found our brigad had lost about 10 or 12 hundred killed wounded and taken prisoners

 

the next two days we spent in the trenches to work the night after the fight it rained all night we had no tents and had to lay out and th take it in the morning we sent in a flag of truce and it was fired on our wounded layed till the next day when the rebbles took them in the wednesday we sent in another flag of trice which was acepted and we had the privelige of taking if our dead it was an awfull sight to see them the rebbles had taken off there shoes and bots blowses and / some of them there pants

 

last night about 9 oclock we were ordered to evacuate when we packed up and started for the boat this morning we sailed up the Mississippi and landed where we go I know not

 

our los along the whole line is about 3000

 

it is warm enough down here to go with out any coat I cant think of any more now

 

                                    direct to Memphis as before

                                                                                    N J F

 

[sideways] Jan 2 63

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