April 28, 1865

Dear Wife,

I received your letter dated April 18 or 13^th and it was a good deal the letter I have had in since I have been in the army. You write a lot of little things and just what I want to hear. I can not get C. H. to tell enough of the “littles”. I am going to tell you all of the news but shall have to talk about things at home most of the time for we have not seen much to write since I wrote. I wrote 2 or 3 letters to you from Greenville, Mississippi and soon after I wrote the last we were ordered to start for our old camp near Vicksburg. This was last Saturday ______ ______ up our things and went on the steamboat Chancellor and our shanties and a lot of wagons that we could not and run some river. We then went down to where our old tents were and thought we were giving ___ good rest. We did rest until morning and then got to tear it all up and move up river again to this place then up our tents and marched north to Carthage which is _____ miles before Vicksburg. We could not go to Carthage ________ This is higher ground, acres and acres of _____ timber is all you could see if you opened the south door and all the ground in sight covered with tents.

We are working around the rebels in all directions and they will catch hell one of these days, when it sinks in. We don’t want _____ give a chance. It will_____ lots of _____ till we have them where they can not help themselves. We will cut off lots of provisions at Deercreek _____ so that we _________ the me Mississippi River from Vicksburg to Ft. Hudson unless they bother us at Grand Gulf, if they do we can avoid them so gunboat on Red River that will have to fight _____ or run away or we will burn them up. When we shall very likely go below Vicksburg I don’t know where the niggers are, but suppose they are leaving them. I want to see that business go ahead. We have a very good chance here I think but don’t know yet _________ have long to find out.

I will send you two ______ this and sometime when you have a chance to go ______ I want you to hold Johnny and let Ira stand beside _______ get the 3 pictures taken together and send it to me ________ how they sit or stand so I can see their faces. Never ______ dress. I would rather get “photographs” or pictures or _________ than “ambrotypes” in cases. For cases are bad to carry _______ to get lost. Paper ones are cheaper, easier sent and easier __________ and if I lose one you can send me another. You ask _____ ailed me. Dysentery or diarrhea – when I get cold by _____________ I do not digest my food well and that brings on diarrhea _________ me is liver complaint and that brings on the rest. I am _______ now but shall be out soon. I did not get

your the________ . What shall you do for grain ____ all is have Charley buy _______ want it. You can shell corn and have it ground if you want ________buy your fathers rye meal for he asked me twice as much as Br________ for rye and I won’t pay any body double price for things _____ . You can get G.E. home - I wish you could __________ have you got the ________ in the barrel yet? What did you get for all the things in John’s Box? I am not mad about Cook’s bill for I knew what he would charge. Pay him but don’t hurry so fast for law again as it is apt to burn your fingers.

I don’t mean to sell our home but get the debts paid, get it with berries, currants, strawberries, blackberries and grapes. ______ garden fixen. Shultz can keep the sow and go to the devil. I will keep away from our home. I will send you a lock of hair. Its getting thin on top of my cope. Cannot Johnny spare me a very lock of his. How do your pigs grow? Won’t they bother you?

Do you ________ calf yet? How many stands of bees are they _______.

I sent eighty dollars to Fisher and he will give papers _______ get that I sent before I could tell you something ______ us if it was not for others getting to find it out. Have to have you kiss Johnny for me and Ira must kiss you for me. Your husband, J. A. Dennis