"From the 12th Wis. Regiment." from the June 11, 1863 Door County Advocate
From the 12th Wis. Regiment.
———
LA SHORE, opposite Warrenton,
May 16th, 1863.
DEAR FATHER:—We are at last in the vicinity of Vicksburg, left Memphis on the 11th of this month, and arrived at Youngs Point on the morning of the 13th. We started down the river to join the main body of Grants army, but stopped here to get rations, &c. I suppose we move on in a day or two. Our communications with the outer world will be uncertain until we get possession of Vicksburg. We are in the land of large snakes and alligators or as we call them "helligators."
Everything is awful dear down here, the price of the Memphis Bulletin is only twenty-five cents. Our health is first-rate.
We know very little of what General Grant is doing, in fact you at home get the news before we do, who are so much nearer the battle fields. We hope to have a hand in taking Vicksburg, but know nothing of our future operations, only from day to-day as we get orders.
Yours, ever,
HARRY
———
From the State Journal, we get three days later than the above, the 12th Reg't is now at Grand Gulf:
GRANT GULF. Miss., May 19, 1863.
Editors State Journal:—The 12th Reg. Wis. Vols. left Grant's Cut off Landing about 2 o'clock p.m. on Wednesday, the 13th inst., crossing the torn up track of a railroad, leading from Vicksburg back into Louisiana, about half a mile from the river, and about as much further entered into a swamp stretching clear across the peninsula opposite the city, unto the levee below.—A corduroy road had been made through it, and a large force of engineer corps and of negroes were busy constructing another track beside the first one, as it was found inadequate to accommodate the travel incident upon the transportation of supplies for the army below us. Before starting, a lot of provision passed us, and a large number of negroes soon followed, just from Grant's army, who, they reported, was fighting and driving all before him.
On Tuesday night our gunboats had shelled the town and batteries of Warrenton, and the smoke from their ruins was plainly to be seen from our bivouac of Wednesday night. We halted close by the river, about halfway between and opposite to the city and Warrenton.
We could see rebel flags flying on the lower batteries and on the court house of the city, which looked very peaceful and unconcerned gleaming in the afternoon sun so bright. It certainly must have been an aggravation to Grant, thus to behold the prize, at such a short distance beyond his grasp, and looking so temptingly lovely. I think he must, after such a test, be almost temptation proof.
Near our camp, is a small canal, fed from a swamp within the levee, and which waters a large rice plantation about a mile back, and now is swarming with crawfish, which the boys are having great fun over, catching them for the table. They are eaten voraciously by some, while others detest them, and a pitiless storm of carcasm is vented at the fishermen, who reciprocate with interest, furnishing a great source of merriment to the rest of the boys.
The 2d brigade landed yesterday, at the same place we did. They were fired upon and had two men wounded, at Cypress Bend, which they completely destroyed, in retaliation. Immense numbers of negroes are passing up the river daily, some hundreds at once, in fact moving by boat loads. Let copperheads say what they will, the President's proclamation is having a powerful effect in this part of the world.
Yesterday, the 18th inst., we moored to Bower's Landing, and embarked on the Forest Queen, and soon swept down to Grand Gulf, Mississippi, where we are now. This is naturally a very [?], the country broken on every [?]—our forces are rapidly making it more so. Long lines of rifle pits now command every approach from the rear, while the enemy's works are being repaired very rapidly. The gunboats Louisville and Arizona are here. They captured a floating bridge the rebels were throwing across Black river, six miles above here, yesterday, and towed the concern back with them.
There are several men of the different Wisconsin regiments, living in a sort of "fragmentary camp," here, and there are some in the hospitals, who were wounded in the attacks on this place and Port Gibson, but I have not had time to visit them yet. More anon, W.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
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