"They had better never do it."

My apologies for the long hiatus, but alas, I have been quite busy recently with school and work and therefore have had little time for my sideline academic pleasures. Tonight I aim to correct my aim, take a deep breath, and resume firing. Though I have been silent with the blog, I have not been silent entirely, and I recently was interviewed on WOUB radio concerning one of my many recent projects, the transcription of over 300 letters from the Brown family of Albany, Athens County, Ohio. The full interview can be heard here and I have decided to share one particular letter (with a few more to follow) on the blog this evening. The following was written by Private William Van Brown, known as "Van" to his comrades, friends, and family. I'll let the man speak for himself.

Young’s Point, Lou.

Opposite Vicksburg, Feb. 1863

Dear Parents: --

I suppose you are getting uneasy about me before this so I will write you a few lines to let you know where we are if nothing more. The last letter I wrote you was at Smithland, I also wrote you while at Louisville, and this makes the third and no answer. I would have wrote you sooner but I looked every day for a let-[ter] from you, and today our first mail since leaving the Kanawha got to us and no letter for me so I just set down and commenced scribbling. You will have to look over bad writing as there is from 10 to 15 of us crowded into this tent all the time and the most of them are now in here writing or talking; some of them of good old times past and gone, other of the good times they will have when they are discharged and get home, and others talking of the probability of a fight here soon or of us going back to W. Va., and I am writing on a knapsack. I will give you a short sketch of our movements: --

We left Smithland Jan. 11^th (I am speaking of our Brig. as we had not got with the “Army of the Mississippi” yet) got to Memphis on the 13^th, left there on the 14^th; got to Napoleon on the 16; there we got with the whole fleet of transports ready to start again for Vicksburg with Sherman’s Army; left Napoleon on the 19^th, arrived opposite the mouth of the Yazoo, 12 miles above Vicksburg, the 21^st, landed on the La. Shore that night; next day we marched across the country to 1 miles below Vicksburg. By looking at the map you will see that the river makes a big bend here, so that it is some 16 miles around while it is only about 2 miles across, thus [small drawing of map description], that is a poor drawing but it is something like it. What I marked as 3d Brig is where we were camped from Jan. 22d till Feb. 7^th when we moved up to the lower landing where we are now. I suppose you remember that Pope[?] or Farragut or some other fool started a canal across this bend, thinking they could run boats through it and get below the rebs and cut off their supplies or something of the kind. The mouth of the canal is below their principal batteries but they now have a Bat. Of 120 pds planted right opposite the mouth. Our Reg. was at work on it every other day till we moved up here, 2 miles above. The canal is 1 1/8 miles in length, and I believe it is given up to be a bad egg. On the 7^th the river raised so that the canal threatened to overflow the low land on which we were camped, that was the cause of us moving up here. We are now camped on good ground and still in sight of Vicksburg. While we were below the rebs shelled us every day but could’nt hardly reach us with shells, although we laid behind the levee within 200 yds of the river; but they would throw a 60 or 100 p’d solid ball 500 yds beyond us. The river there was about 2 miles wide and they had their Bat[terie]s planted on the bluffs back from the river about ¼ or ½ miles. For a day or two after we came here rebel boats passed up and down the river below Vicksburg unmolested, but one morning early the reb steamer “Vicksburg” came up the river and our bat[terie]s oppened [sic] on her but owing to the fog she escaped much damage and landed under the guns of Vicksburg, where she has lain ever since. The next day one of our Bat[terie]s captured  large ferry boat coming up. She is still below Vicksburg batteries and if we don’t get the place I suppose they will have to burn her.

On the morning of Feb. 2d just before sunrise we heard heavier firing above than usual and guessed at once that some of our gunboats were running the blockade; it turned out to be the large side wheel ram, “Queen of the West.” She ran down opposite Vick. And then ran over and ran into the reb steamer “Vicksburg” but finding they couldn't sink her they fired a load of cotton and turpentine into her which would have burned her had not the rebs put it out. She then ran down the river. It appeared as if batteries oppened [sic] on her from every foot of ground on the opposite side of the river for 15 miles in length. But the ram ran down on this side of the river and landed 1 mile below our Brig. She is not iron plated only the ram or “snout” and the pilot house is covered with sheet iron to stop musket balls. All around her boilers, pilot house and machinery were piled cotton bales. She was struck 14 times, mostly in the cotton which was set a few several times by shells. Col. Ellot was in command of her and had a volunteer crew. Col. Ellott stood on the hurricane roof waving his hat, the shell flying thick and fast around him[.] It was the heaviest cannonading I ever heard. The boat was und[er] fire 2 hours about. In the afternoon she ran on down the river. She got back on the 5^th and reported that she had sunk three reb transports near the mouth of the Red river loaded with provisions. Two or three days ago she went down the river again; it is said she has gone up Black river to destroy the R. R. bridge across that river.

For two or three days the rebs have been shelling our Brigade’s guards down below the mouth of the canal, but don’t kill anybody.

About half of our Reg has been sick since we have been here; most of them with the diarrhea; three have died with fever, our Co. has lost one, G. F. Waugh; he lived at Swan Creek, Gallia Co., Ohio. The health of the Reg is improving now fast. I was sick a day or two with diarrhea, but am well now. Irwin, Dossen and Bill Dean are well. John Dean is pretty sick but is able to be about.

There is all kinds of rumors afloat as to a move. Some think we will go back to W. Va. or Ky., our Reg. at least. There is some foundation for this report but I think it is slight. The boys all want to go back to Va. after this fight takes place, and the most of them ain’t noways particular about waiting to take part in it. They all wanted to come out of Va., but they have seen enough of the elephant. For my part I think any place would better than this. I don’t like a country where you can see nothing but swamp.

Jan. [February] 14. – I quit writing last night at dark and about 8 o’ck I got two letters from home, one of Jan. 18 and one of Jan. 31^st[.] It appears that you have written two other at least that I never got.

We are having very nice spring like weather here, part of the time it is uncomfortable with a coat on. Some of the boys who have been back in the country say the flowers are out in full bloom in the fields. The correspondent of the Com. Was right about the weather when we were coming down. It was awful cold from the time we left Memphis till we got below Napoleon. I don’t know who that correspondent can be. The Reg’ts down here would ask what Reg. that was, and when answered “4^th Va.” we would say “we did not ask you for a lie,” they did’nt think there was a Va. Reg. The health of the new Reg’ts here is awful, some of them don’t report a men for duty. There is talk of our Brig. Being sent to Memphis, Louisville or some place up the river, but I can’t believe it. I believe though that we won[‘]t have to stay here more than two monthes. I don’t believe there will be any fighting here of consequence till Banks comes up. In fact we can’t take the place till he makes a junction with us; how long before that will take place nobody appears to know. I expect we hae 75.000 or 100,000 men here. The rebs are said to have 150,000 but I don’t believe they have over 75,000. Grant is in Command here. Jo. Johnston is said to be in com. On the other side. The new troops here are most of them badly discouraged, especially those who were here when Sherman attacked the place before.

Ma says she “thinks if left to my choice I would rather not have come so far south;” you are mistaken, I wanted to come down here or go to Nashville, I did’nt care much which but, I have seen enough; to be sure I have not seen much fighting, none in fact, except artillery fighting, but I have seen men burried by hundreds, seen a hole dug 4 feet deep and 6 or 8 men tumbled in like hogs, with nothing on except their clothes, the dirt thrown in on them, and before night the wagons had run over them till they had cut the ground up and their feet were sticking out. It was no uncommon thing when we first came here to see them wheel men off of the hospital boats on a wheelbarrow and dump them into a hole and cover them up and that was the last of them. In fact a person can see enough here in a week to make him wish he never had volunteered. You need not think by this that I am discouraged for I aint one of them kind; but I do wish they would do something or other to bring this war to a close.

Last we heard heavy cannonading about 10 o’ck, and this morning it is reported that one of our best gun boats ran the blockade and has gone below.

It is a mistake about our Reg and another having a row in Louisville. There was a good many of our Brig. Broke guard and went up into the city; there was some Regulars doing patrol duty, and when they caught any of our boys without a pass they put them in the military prison. One night they halted some of the 37 and 47 Regts, they did’nt stop and I think they shot 2 of them But they never had any row any none of our Reg. was either shot or killed.

We have plenty to eat here such as it is, and it is as good as soldiers generally get. If we had money we could buy light bread at reasonable prices, baked by men who follow the army with portable bakeries, and we could get butter at 40 cents a pd, also apples, pies, &c. enough to keep off the scurvy. The paymasters are either here now or will be soon to pay off this army. Writing materials are pretty scarce but our sutler will be here in a few days; but the report is that the Col. ordered him not to set up when his things came as we would’nt stay here long enough to pay; but I don’t believe it. I have writing materials. I suppose Crooks Brig. has gone to Nashville, but have not heard from them since they were at Louisville. I wish we could go to them. Capt. G. W. Baker is here. He is Commissary subsistence, I believe, and issues provisions to one Division.

What wouldn’t I give to be at home a few days and help you devour some of that fresh pork and a few of those apples, to say nothing of the other good things. But, pshaw! What’s the use of talking, dinner will soon be ready and I will steop up and get some army grub, crackers and coffee, maybe some beans.

Hereafter I will try and write oftener, if I don’t write so much. I believe I have wrote about all that I can think of. I live in hopes that our Reg. will get away from here before warm weather sets in. I believe we could make them take us back any time, but that we will never do. The troops here are most of them down on the Presidents Emancipation Proclimation, and think that he wants to put the blacks on an equality with the whites. If he ever sends any negro soldiers down here they wont last long. I saw in some paper that they were trying to pass a bill to raise 300,000 negro soldiers, they had better never do it.

Well that is all I believe. It is as warm today as it is some days in August in the North.

W. V. Brown   

Co. D, 4^th Reg. Va. Vol. Inft.,

3d Brig. 2d Div. 15^th Army Corps

Army of the Miss.

Cairo, Ill.

(Care of Capt. Goodspeed.)

I don’t suppose there is any use of putting so much on an envelope but it is safer. Our Brig. is known as the “Kanawha Brig."

Source: The Brown Family Collection, Alden Library, Ohio University