Up Yazoo River. In rear of

Vicksburg Miss July 3^d. 1863.—

 

 

My Own Dear Jen.

                                    O dear me, not a letter yet I hear that there is seventy five large bags of mail matter for the Corps piled up in Cincinnati what a pile of letters I will get, thirty four days of letters from you Jen. lets see I wont get less than fifteen or twenty letters from you, that will be nice—I am still back with Dr Ross on the sick list, mind you not very sick, but I am very weak, as I might well be for four days I did not eat the amount of three crackers.

 

the fact is ones "inards get fearfully demoralized here—I got news from the Regt last night that the Officers had been voting for Major & that Capt Low came within one of getting it. I was very much pleased with the vote as I had never told any of the line Officers I wanted it. Capt Tilton the man that beat me voted for himself & got it or that is got the majority—I got lots of letters from / the Officers this morning, saying they wanted me to stick by the Regt & they would stick by me, so I suppose they will pour a flood of letters into New Hamp to the influential men. It will be some sport & besides nuts for me, as there are six Captains that outrank me & should be promoted before me, but most of them stand one side & go in for me. I dont know how it will end. I wish you would ask Geo Peirce to speak to Gov Gilmore, tell George, Nat Head & Allen Tenny will pitch in if they have not already—It looks as if we were going to have a shower I hope so, if it will only cool the air for a little while. I am afraid we shall not have the pleasure of spending the 4^th in Vicksburg. it is going to take some powder yet before it falls. never was there a place in the world with so many natural defences—I hope it will fall before long, for if they keep us Northern troops round here a great while there wont be many left to go back—

 

Well my dear I wish I was going to spend tomorrow with you. O would it not be gay, but there is no good in wishing it only makes a fellow blue—I do hope that you will pass the day pleasantly & have a good time. I shall be thinking of you all through the day—for I never will forget a year ago just—Only think / Jen we have been married ten months & how little we have seen of one another during that time, but I reckon we have both thought some of each other. well I hope the day is not far distant when we will be united never to part except by death. I hear that Capt Jack Hough is sick I dont know how sick so I would not mention it—this Army Corps expects to go back to Kentucky after Vicksburg falls I hope the expectations will prove true, for certainly that is a fine state to soger in—

 

            How are you all at home at I wonder. it makes me so provoked not to get any letters, not to know wether or no you are alive or not, well or sick—remember me to Father, Mother & the young ladies Miss Lydia & Mattie ahem: I hear that Mattie is still running wild, you should talk to her Jen. tell her what a wild girl you have been & now that you have settled down you see the errors of your wild race—talk to her old lady like a mother. good bye dear, with all the love of my heart from

 

                                                                                    your Aff Hus.

                                                                                                            Nat—

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