The following letter from James Shivvers [sic] of the 7th Missouri infantry to his father in this place may interest many of our readers who are acquainted with him.
Vicksburg, Miss., June 4th, 1863
Dear Father – Yours of the 26th came to hand yesterday; glad to hear you got home from Iowa all right; think you might make it pay if you have another buggy to trade – the rebels have a camel in Vicksburg, you had better come down and trade for it to mate the jackass.
We have had no fight since I last wrote to you, except an artillery duel yesterday the rebels opened on*our [sic] left with eight pieces of cannon and it was not more than two minutes till we had more than fifty pieces blazing away at them, and in less than ten minutes not a rebel gun was to be heard, the most of them being dismounted. The talk is that we are to make a charge on the fortifications to-morrow, with 20,000 men. I saw the ladders yesterday. We took the ladders when the first charge was made, and since then our regiment has went by the name of the “hook and ladder regiment.” Yesterday nine boats loaded with troops landed at Haine’s Bluff, and Gen. Banks is ten miles below Vicksburg with one corps of his army and report says that Rosecrans has started one of his corps for this place, by way of the river; while he is after old Bragg, who is making for this place with all possible speed. Rebel Johnson is only 45 miles from here with 20,000 men; he is waiting for Bragg to come up then they are going to rescue their pets that we have got caged in this place. When they get to the Black River we will lock Vicksburg, throw the key in the river and go out and meet the two rebels, Johnson and Bragg, give them a sound threshing, (if they are not too much for us.) At least we have not any fears from that source. If you want a view of where we have been and what we have done just look at the Chicago Tribune of the 29th, and you will know as much as though you had been with us. The same paper will show you our position now. We are in the center in Gen. McPherson’s camps, he has four divisions, and in each division four brigades, with five regiments in each brigade. He has the largest corps in the Western Department and he is the best General we have except John A. Logan who will not ask his men to go where he will not go himself. Al the boys like him and will go where he tells them to, if it was to the bad place that we read of in the big book I think some of us will go there to-morrow if another charge is made. On the 22nd for about five minutes I would have took two cents for myself and glad to get that much. Everything is quiet along the lines to-day. We lay in line of battle last night all night, waiting for Mr. Secesh to show himself. We have works almost as good as the rebels have and are all the time ready to meet them if they want to try us. Mighty warm – as warm as I ever see in Illinois, has not been much rain for a week or more, which it would rain if only enough to lay the dust. No more this time. James Shivvers.
– Published in the Stark County News, Toulon, Illinois, Thursday, June 18, 1863
Vicksburg, Miss., June 4th, 1863
Dear Father – Yours of the 26th came to hand yesterday; glad to hear you got home from Iowa all right; think you might make it pay if you have another buggy to trade – the rebels have a camel in Vicksburg, you had better come down and trade for it to mate the jackass.
We have had no fight since I last wrote to you, except an artillery duel yesterday the rebels opened on*our [sic] left with eight pieces of cannon and it was not more than two minutes till we had more than fifty pieces blazing away at them, and in less than ten minutes not a rebel gun was to be heard, the most of them being dismounted. The talk is that we are to make a charge on the fortifications to-morrow, with 20,000 men. I saw the ladders yesterday. We took the ladders when the first charge was made, and since then our regiment has went by the name of the “hook and ladder regiment.” Yesterday nine boats loaded with troops landed at Haine’s Bluff, and Gen. Banks is ten miles below Vicksburg with one corps of his army and report says that Rosecrans has started one of his corps for this place, by way of the river; while he is after old Bragg, who is making for this place with all possible speed. Rebel Johnson is only 45 miles from here with 20,000 men; he is waiting for Bragg to come up then they are going to rescue their pets that we have got caged in this place. When they get to the Black River we will lock Vicksburg, throw the key in the river and go out and meet the two rebels, Johnson and Bragg, give them a sound threshing, (if they are not too much for us.) At least we have not any fears from that source. If you want a view of where we have been and what we have done just look at the Chicago Tribune of the 29th, and you will know as much as though you had been with us. The same paper will show you our position now. We are in the center in Gen. McPherson’s camps, he has four divisions, and in each division four brigades, with five regiments in each brigade. He has the largest corps in the Western Department and he is the best General we have except John A. Logan who will not ask his men to go where he will not go himself. Al the boys like him and will go where he tells them to, if it was to the bad place that we read of in the big book I think some of us will go there to-morrow if another charge is made. On the 22nd for about five minutes I would have took two cents for myself and glad to get that much. Everything is quiet along the lines to-day. We lay in line of battle last night all night, waiting for Mr. Secesh to show himself. We have works almost as good as the rebels have and are all the time ready to meet them if they want to try us. Mighty warm – as warm as I ever see in Illinois, has not been much rain for a week or more, which it would rain if only enough to lay the dust. No more this time. James Shivvers.
– Published in the Stark County News, Toulon, Illinois, Thursday, June 18, 1863
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