In The rear of Vicksburg June 14^th 1863

 

Dear wife and Children

it is with pleasure that I sit down to write a few lines to let you know that I am well and harty at this time & hope these few lines will find you all in good health it has ben some time since I heard from you I have so many things to write about that I dont know what to write first if I was there I could tell it in half the time we are in the rear of vicksburg about two miles there is a solid line of our men arround Vicksburg it would scare a person to see the forts and breast works of the Rebels right in front of us we have rifle pits that we goe into and act as sharpshooters and then see the breast works where our cannons are we have large guns there is four large guns that shoot twenty four pound balls and shells and where thay goe you can believe thay make a hole there one has just shot it dont scare me no more than to hear a whip crack I suppose you have heard more about this fight than I have but maybe you haint got the truth for we get papers / here from Memphis Chicago & St Louis and thay make things larger than what thay rearley are but the people up there dont know what it is to be a soldier but there is some that I hope will have to goe and face the enemy and hear the bullets whistle around their ears as I have but I have got so used to it that I can goe to sleep when the cannons is roaring all arround me we have to lay right out in the open are and on the ground with a blanket arround us but we have got used to that we have plenty to eat and drink

 

June 18^th 1863

            Well it has ben four day since I comenced this letter and I thought that I would finish it and when the mail went I could send it I am well at this time and have ben well all the time and hope these few lines will find you and the family well at this time we are still in the rear of Vicksburg doing no more than we have ben doing since we have ben here the 15 of this month the next day after I commenced this letter I went up in the rifle pits and day after to / morrow we have to goe again every fourth day we have to goe and stay there twenty four hours that is all the duty we have to do the rebeles kills once & awhile one and wounds one the prisoners that we have taken say that we are killing a good many of their men I dont see how it can help killing them when we have seven hundred pieces of cannons arround the line and the balls weighs from six to sixty four pounds we have boats on the river that throwes two and three hundred pounds shells and when thay bust thay throw the pieces in every direction the rebeles dont shoot many cannon balls at us for since the first of May we have taken seventy five pieces of cannons from the rebeles. last night I went up on the hill to the Battery and seen them shoot red hot shot to set houses afire in town I believe I have told you that I have seen Anderson Parsol and Shaker Smart & Ben Markley Anderson was down here last night he said Shaker was sick and I think I will goe this afternoon and see him Broad Trenary is sick to day with the Dioreah that is the general complaints amongst the soldiers I believe this is all that I think of at this time but if I live to get home then I can tell better than I can write / this afternoon I signed the pay roll but when we will get our pay I cant tell it is very warm down here I believe I will close for this time when you get this you needent write any more for if nothing hapens I will be to home before a letter could get here I will close by sending my best respects to all enquiring friends

 

This From Your Husband

Edward. A. Dibble

To his wife Mary Dibble

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