(Postmarked Memphis, Aug 11) August 2, 1863 Vicksburg, Miss.. Howdy do. pretty warm day this. My health is pretty good. how is it with you. whats the news. dull times and hard fare. how do the folks do in Berlin. Have the young folkes got back from 11 oclock meeting yet. What have you got for Dinner.. I just eat a smashing old dinner. had a slice of meet. small peace of cucumber pickle, a slice of Bread that I bought, and a cup of watter from the Miss River. We draw (as a general thing) Hard Crackers Sowbelly Coffee and Shugar. Some times we draw beans rice and hominey. we generally have crackers Sowbelly & Coffee and then Sowbelly Crackers & Coffee then coffee and crackers & Sowbelly and when we go on that until we cant go any longer we have to beg of our Patriotic Settlers.. Get things cheep. Cheese 50cts butter 50 cts.. Potatoes 25 cts, per dozen. Onions 5cts apiece.. Apples 5 cts. apiece.. Bread 25 cts. a loaf. How do you get along with your harvesting. Do you have any ripe apples or new potatoes.. I should like to have a dish of Bread and Milk about now. We are still at Vicksburg but expect to move in some direction pretty soon.. the talk is that we are going to Natchez, Miss. to garrison the place, but how near I do not know. What do you think of Old Morgan did he scare any of you very bad.. how do you get along with the Copperheads by this time.. can you make them drill. how do they like it.. who are the Oficers in our Township have you any Conscripts ready to send down here.. if you have send them along. we can work them. we dont hear much news lately we have not had any very late papers so I do not know what they are going in the East, I have not had any letters from you since I wrote last.. there had four of our Company gone home on furloughs.. Isaac White of Eden, George Case of Galena, Charley Backoven (?) & Shriver Gaml of Sunbury.. the rest of the Company have the promise of furlough after while. I do not know whether I will expect one or not.. You wanted to know if I wanted paper and envelopes or money. I have all I want of such things. We drawed two months pay just before the surrender of Vicksburg, and day before yesterday we drawed two months more. I am going to send some money home the first chance I have. i have to use considerable but try to not spend it needlessly.. the fare is pretty hard. Capt. Coulter said he did not blame a man for spending his last dollar for something to eat that was necessary for him to have. I wish you would if you can without too much trouble send me a few postage stamps. They cannot be had here. Give my best respects to Aunt Ophelia tell her I will write as soon as I have a chance. I was very glad to have a few lines from her. tell her and Amelia that William & Charles Smith were well the last I heard from.. My respect to Emeline N(?). You wanted to know what the soldiers thought of the Copperheads of them if we had them down here or if we were up there.. they consider they meaner than the Rebels in the South.. we have once in a while one in the Army that seems rather in favor of the p(?)leded Copperheads but he dare not say much.. My respects to all the friends.. Write and give me the news. From L. Carhart to the Folks at Home. Direct Co G. 96th OVI 1st Brigade 10th Division 1(3?) Army Corps Army of the Miss. lc 630817
Vicksburg Aug 17th /63
I received a letter dated July 29th some time ago.. I have written three letters since we returned from Jackson. and one while at Jack– and have received four.. I have nothing particular to write times are dull. every thing quiet.. we are still in the same camp near Vicksburg. the weather is very warm.. we have to keep in the shade in the middle of the day.. we drill one hour in the morning and have Dressperade in the Evening.. it is thought we will go to New Orleans this week. and perhaps from there to Mobile.. my health is very good. the boys are pretty well, what are left.. there are only four of us now from the 16 we had in Our Mess.. Will Flagg,, Ell Finley,, Jo Griggs & my Self.. Lem Roloson started home day before yesterday with his Discharge. he was very poorly.. I should have sent some money by him if he had been able to cary it. but he had all he could do to cary him Self.. Bill Neffus Came to the Company day before yesterday. when we were at Perkins Plantation he was detailed to guard Prisoners up the River and when he got to St. Louis he thought he would go home he has been gone untill now.. he tells some pretty hard tales about the folks about Delaware.. he says the copperheads do about as they please. he says they dress in butternut colored clothes and ware butternuts for buttins. if you see a lady with a butternut Brestpin tell her that I said she had better stick it in her A.. tell them Copperheaded butternut Colored traitor Devils they had not better come here and show their Colors or they will get their darned Bull necks stretched.. they are worse than a sheep theif.. I wish they would draft every Devil of them and put them in old Regt. and when they come to Battle put them in the front rank. and if they did not come to time shoot them.. I think the folks of Delaware have not much spunk or else they are all turning Traitors. or they would not allow such work.. if we were as calm and cool and done no more to crush the rebelion than they do in Delaware what do you suppose would become of our country.. it is enough to make any one prevoked to do as I have done for the last year (as much for the interest of them as my Self) and then have them lazy Devils do all they can against me.. I hope they will hang and shoot every one that votes for Old Val.. I beleave if it had not been for them Copperheaded traitors I would have been home to day instead of being way down here.. but they are to mean to talk about so we will let them go.. we are all coming home after while and then is they want anything we can give it to them the South is about whiped.. I dont know as I will get a chaunce to come home on a furlough or not and dont know as I would take one if I had a chaunce.. I should like to beat home a little while and see Uncle John & have a drink of that good wine. but it will cost to much.. there will three of Our Boys (of our Company) start home tomorrow on sick furloughs.. Old man Courter of Sunbury is down here to see his son in the Hospital the health of our Regt is midling good.. I expect our ranks will be filed up with conscrips in a little while.. I saw a piece in the Delaware paper stating that Capt Kimball was going to bring some down when he came.. you said in you letter that Capt Kimball was dead is it not a mistake.. his woman is dead but I guess he is not.. Write soon from
We are now in the fourth Division instead of the 10th.. 1st Brigade 4 Division 13th army Corps army of the Miss.