Vicksburg July 24 1863 Dear Lizzie I seat my self on a box to writ you a leter I rote you two or 3 at Jackson but but they never com any faster than I did infact I brot one on to this point my self & so you wil get this befour you get them or as soon any way this leavs me well & harty & I hope it may find you tho in the same condition I herd from you to day Wesly Meadors rote to Lieutenant Meadors to tel me you was well the leter came by hand & so it came quicker than I can get them mabe tho things wil be don up quicker than they have bin for som time well I am seated by a candle in my tent on a box on the bank of the river just belo the edg of the City of Vicksburg in the County of Waren in the State of Missisippi We left Jackson on the 20th inst and the first days march brot us to Bamon; 14 milds from Jackson we campt in a beautiful grove & of corse tierd we lay down & slept sound til 3 o clock when all was roused up & evry thing made redy to start that morning I got up with the colick & couldent eat any thing & I dident get in ranks but puterd along after the regment all day & don tolerble well til nearly night & a heavy blow cam up & I stopt in a house with severl other of our boys who had got behind & the division marcht on & got som 5 milds a head of us so after the rain was over we walked on til dark thru the water nearly knee deep in sever plases in the black river catains[?] & we stopt som two milds behing the division in an old house & slept til morning that morning found me som what stif & soar but we pusht on & get up with the regment just as they was starting but being with out brakfast I never marcht more than half a mile with them til I stopt & got my brakfast & rested a while the diarea tuck hold of me about the same time & so I did not go no faster than I felt lik I got up tho with the regment by 12 o clk & kept along with them til we got to this plase but I was tird down & wore out & I was not by my self for thare was severl behind me & dident cech up til we got to camp but one days rest makes me all rit except my legs is a litle soar I expect we wil rest a while now & thare is no teling whare we wil go [on the reverse] July the 25th 1863 this is a beautiful morning & I am well as comon we are not fixt up permanetly here yet I dont no whether we wil stay here yet or not thare is som talk of leaving ( severl plases talkt of ) thare is thousands of troops going down the river I gess they are going around to Mobeal Thare is som troops oderd to Memphis & som to Arkansas & som mabe oderd to Tennsee to help Rosecrains thare is a generl stir among the troops all is lif & we are crownd with victorys that makes the Rebels trimble & makes us all rejoice the rebels in this contry oans to be whipt & thare is no armd forse in this part of any consequence & you sea his army whipt & driven as if shaken by a mity wind read of the batle if you can get hold of a paper & you wil read of the bigest batle ever fought on this continent look at Generl Prises army in Ark & you sea him whipt & sent to ramble in the wilderness afrade to sho him self to any thing lik his equal numbers now look back to 32000 rebels perold at this plaxe & sent by ones & twoes to there homes the the worst whipt boys you ever sean half of then ¦¦¦¦ to be concerd they go home whipt & thare influince wil do more to put down the rebelion than anything don in the hole war I wil quit now by saying that I sea a brit prospect of peace at som perod not far distance the goverment is caling for Reglars & som of our regment has joind them thare is 400 dollars oferd to us to join them they wil not get many Hamilton boys Wel Lizzie I no you sea a hard time you are botherd a goodeal have a heap to do & a hard ro to hoe but you must have pashence & not get out of hart dont work to hard & try only to take car of what you have got give George the best education you can & make him work bont abuse him but talk to him & alow him to have som play things but not alow him to play to long tel him I want him to try to make a nice industerous smart man & not to be lazy dont tel him he is lazy but incureg corect & up hold him do it in a mild easey & good umerd maner lern him to be ser¦d corect him in a firm maner & he wil obey you seak his love & try if you can to lern his early motives he may mak aman difernt from what you expect if he takes delit in any that wil lead him in a profitable busines & not erreligious incoureg him you must never get angry with him it would learn him to be fractious kis the baby & remember me Mack ___________________________ Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723