Headquarters Dept. Of The Tennessee,
Camp Opposite Vicksburg, June 30, 1863.
My Dear Wife:
You are mistaken in supposing I had a new command given me.
I explained the matter to mother in a former letter — a temporary detail as
president of a court which ceased when the court adjourned. I have since,
however, been employed upon most important business which has kept me from my
regiment. This morning I shall go down to Port Hudson in a steamboat to confer
with General Banks upon official business. I am glad you liked my report. I
wrote it very hurriedly on the battlefield, in pencil, and in something over
two hours, and have not seen it since, so I can hardly judge how it read. The
country will hardly ever get the true history of the assault of the 19th,
because it is the interest of the whole army, except the small portion, two
thirds of one tenth, to suppress it. Thus there are ten divisions of infantry;
but one of these divisions obeyed the order to charge, and of that division but
one whole brigade, my own, went in, with two regiments from Ewing, and one from
Giles Smith. I enclose a slip which is partly truthful in other matters and
worth reading, and in which an allusion is made to what the opinion of the
rebel officers was of that charge. They have spoken of it very often, and I
assure you it was a most gallant, daring action. The conflict is raging here
all the time, we think it hardly possible Vicksburg can hold out much longer,
though they fight with perfect desperation and probably will fight to the last.
Still there is an end to all things and there must some time be an end to this
siege — only patience is left to us. You must not be alarmed for me. I have
been in many dangers and always preserved. My life may yet be of some service
to my country or my family.
I made General Grant a present of one of my saddle horses
the other day, a splendid piebald gelding, that I think is worth a thousand
dollars. He was a horse that I captured at Arkansas Post with his rider, a
Texan officer, and since that time I have been carefully training him. He is
very large and spotted white and black with a noble carriage and easy gait.
Grant fell in love with him a long time ago, and talked so much about him that
I gave him. He always rides him, although he has other fine horses.
I shall hope in my next letter to be able to give you
something of interest connected with General Banks's army and its operations.
SOURCE: Walter George Smith, Life and letters of
Thomas Kilby Smith, p. 314-5
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