118th ILLINOIS Soldiers 1863 CIVIL WAR Letter VICKSBURG Battles WOUNDED & DEAD

118th ILLINOIS Soldiers 1863 CIVIL WAR Letter VICKSBURG Battles WOUNDED & DEAD. Interesting letter written from Black River Bridge, just south of Vicksburg, during the siege. It mentions Grand Gulf Mississippi, Port Gibson Mississippi, fighting at Thompsons Hill, names of killed and wounded, Raymond Mississippi, Vicksburg Mississippi, various Generals, and much more. Research shows the soldier to be from Adams County, Illinois, and a member of the 118th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company E.

Many of the soldiers mentioned are from Warsaw, Illinois. During the American Civil War the 118th participated in the Yazoo Pass Expedition, Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, Battle of Arkansas Post, Battle of Port Gibson, Battle of Champion Hill, Battle of Big Black River Bridge, the Siege of Vicksburg, and the Red River Campaign. With a few punctuation corrections, the letter reads.

Hd Qrs 118th Regt Ills Inftry Vols / Black River Bridge, May 27th 1863 / Dear Mother, Having a little time at my own disposal I will improve it by writing to you. I wrote a few lines the other day sufficient to inform you of my existence and that was about all that it did contain.

Our Regt crossed the Mississippi on the last of April some eight miles below Grand Gulf Miss and moved in the direction of Port Gibson. On the morning of the 1st of May they came upon the enemy, very advantageously posted on Thompsons Hill, and the battle commenced and was carried on with varying success during the greater part of the day. The enemy having the choice of positions but our force the best artillery and the larger forces. Toward evening the enemy gave way and left us the master of the place.

You will have seen by the papers the loss of both sides long before you see this, so I will only give you the particular loss of the 118th which was 4 or 5 killed & some twenty or thirty wounded. Among the killed was David Sholl from Carthage (Sergeant David Sholl).

He had been with me in the Com-Dept until the very day the Regt left for the fight and lost his life the first battle he was in. He was brave and of the two rather rash.

There was of Co "E" wounded Wm Masgan (Sergeant William H Masgen, of Warsaw, Illinois), John Shonebraker (Private, of Warsaw, Illinois), David Smith (Private David L Smith, of Nauvoo, Illinois) & John Borne (Corporal, of Warsaw, Illinois), none killed. After that fight the Army moved on toward Jackson fighting and skirmishing the whole way.

Our Corps went as far as Raymond, while Sherman went on and took Jackson. The whole army then took different routes toward Vixburg.

McClernand the centre and McPherson the left & our forces came up with the enemy at Champion Hills and a hotly contested battle ensued in which both sides suffered severely but the Rebs were again compelled to run and the skedaddled back to their fortifications on Black River where they were attacked the next day and obliged to dust once more with the exception of about twenty-five hundred who were taken prisoners. After the fight at Blk River Bridge we went on toward Vixburg and stopped just outside of their line of fortification. Here we fought them for five days but gained no ground that would do any good materially (ie) in the centre where we were, but Sherman took Haynes Bluffs on the right, and McPherson , Warrenton on the left so we have the laddies in a box. The main army is still a thundering away at them, but our Brigade has been ordered to this place to keep the Rebs from coming on our rear and annoying us.

The news is that Banks is at Warrenton with part of his force and will help in securing the place. We have direct communication with the River by way of Haynes Bluffs on the Yazoo from which point we draw our supplies. When the whole thing is told you will see that our army has had such a thinning out that you will be astonished.

I have no doubt but that our loss in the whole affair will exceed one fourth of our entire force. We left quite a number of our Regt sick back at Raymond, among them Tom Worthen (Sergeant Thomas A Worthen, of Warsaw, Illinois) and David Turner (of Warsaw, Illinois). The boys of your acquaintance with these exceptions are here with the Co. Sam Williams Corporal Samuel O.

Williams, of Warsaw, Illinois is helping me. (Corporal Frederick H Bennett of Warsaw, Illinois) Ed Bedell (Private Edward A Bedell, of Warsaw, Illinois) and the balance are all right & so was "Mark" when we left the front.

The season down here is probably farther advanced than with you. We have new potatoes when we can jayhawk them and Blkberries & Plums in abundance. I had a fine Blackberry Pie for supper & Breakfast and Sam (Private Samuel M Wirt, of Vernon, Iowa) is out picking berries now. The country here is more like the East than anything I have seen since I left N.

Birch, Chestnut, Hickory and all the trees common to the east besides the Magnolia and other trees of Southern proclivity. The country is indeed desolated through which the army passed and the finest of residences are stripped of everything and in fact ruined. The scene presented at any of the hospitals is heart-sickening. You can see hundreds of wounded laying out in the yard without shelter of any kind except perhaps the shade of a tree, I have many & many a time been offered a Half Dollar for a cracker since we left the Gulf but had none to sell or give away. The whole army of a hundred thousand men have had no shelter since the 25th of April more than the shade of a tree.

The whole army is in fine spirits and will do the best fighting that an army ever did do. When we get into V.

I will write again for we are shure to get there some time before long, although such fortifications you never dreampt of in your life. Since we left Grand Gulf the army has captured 8,000 prisoners and (72) pieces of artillery. That aint so very bad as it might be, do you think it is. Tell Helen to give the young ones fits over on the 16th and also that I will write to her before long. Davison is here all right and sound. I will write every time I get a chance and tell you all I know Your Son Horner believed to be Horace M. Kimball, of Adams County, Illinois. Unfolded page measures 12" x 15.5" with writing on both sides.

Displays beautifully, with absolutely no rips, tears, holes, hidden damage, or repairs. Guaranteed to be an original Civil War document, not a copy or reproduction. Detailed service of the 118th. Duty at Camp Butler and guarding prisoners until December.

Left Illinois for Memphis, Tenn. Sherman's Yazoo Expedition December 20, 1862, to January 2, 1863.

Chickasaw Bayou December 26§28, 1862. Yazoo River January 2, 1863. Expedition to Arkansas Post, Ark.

Assault and capture of Fort Hindman January 10§11. Moved to Young's Point, La. January 17§23, and duty there until March 9. Moved to Milliken's Bend, La.

Operations from Milliken's Bend to New Carthage March 31-April 17. Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25§30. Thompson's Hill, Port Gibson, May 1. Big Black River May 17.

Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. At Black River Bridge May 24-July 6.

Edwards' Ferry July 1 (detachment). Near Clinton July 8 (detachment). Siege of Jackson July 10§17. Raid to Brookhaven July 17§20.

At Vicksburg July 25-August 8. Moved to Port Hudson August 8§9, then to Carrollton, La. August 15§16, and to Bayou Boeuf September 5§7.

To Brashear City September 16. Western Louisiana Campaign October 3-November 30. Regiment mounted October 11, 1863. Carrion Crow Bayou October 16§20. Reconnaissance toward Opelousas October 20.

Barrie's Landing, Opelousas, October 21. Scouting and skirmishing about Opelousas October 22§30.

Carrion Crow Bayou November 3. At New Iberia November 15-December 18. Scout to Vermillion Bayou November 22§23.

Moved to Donaldsonville December 18§23, then to Port Hudson January 3§7, and duty there until July 3, 1864. Raid to Bayou Sara and skirmish February 22. Raid to Jackson March 3. Skirmishes March 26§28, April 1 and 5, May 15, June 13 and 17. Bayou Grosse Tete March 30 and April 2. Moved to Baton Rouge July 3. Operations about Baton Rouge July 3§25.

Expedition to Davidson's Ford, near Clinton, July 17§18. Lee's Expedition to Clinton August 23§29. Comite River and Clinton August 25. Hodge's Plantation September 11.

Expedition to Amite River, New River and Bayou Manchac October 2§8. Expedition to Clinton, Greensburg, etc. Lee's Expedition to Brookhaven, Miss. Davidson's Expedition to West Pascagoula against Mobile & Ohio Railroad November 27-December 13.

Outpost duty at Baton Rouge until May 22, 1865. Expedition west of Mississippi River February 2§3. Expedition to Olive Branch, La. Provost duty at Baton Rouge until October.

Expedition to Clinton and Comite River March 30-April 2. All items are from a smoke-free home.

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The item "118th ILLINOIS Soldiers 1863 CIVIL WAR Letter VICKSBURG Battles WOUNDED & DEAD" is in sale since Sunday, August 12, 2018. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Militaria\Civil War (1861-65)\Original Period Items\Documents". The seller is "pryankee" and is located in Saint Petersburg, Florida. This item can be shipped worldwide.

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