January the 18th 1863
Dear father
I take this oppertunity to in form you
that am yet a lived I am not very well at present but I think i will soon be
well. We left Heelena the 21th of last month and have been on the river ever
since prety nare we went down to Vixburg they was about 65 thousand in the fleat
we seen the elephant there
we was down there several days and dun some prety
hard fighting and come back up to Arkansas river
and
went up it about 39 miles
to a
fort
up there and we
had a fight there and we took 5 thousand of prisnors there and alot of there cannons
and alot of mules and alot of
amunition our loss was not many and the Rebel loss was right smart
we got one man killed in our company an one wounded Milton Fisher was the man
that got killed we didn't make mutch off the rebels at
Vicksburg our regiment we are
guarding the prisnors we are taken them
up to SantLouis
we are up as fur as
memhpis
now I seen Alvan Vast at memphis yesterday and he was well and harty. I ke Heaner at memphis
is but I didn't git to see him ge was well I will tell you that I havent hurd from home
fur about 2 months I would like to here frome home. Wyatt has had along sick spell but he is
beter Heanson is sick the small pocks is going through out regiment
i gess we will go back as soon as we git up there to
St Louis I tell you we see ahard time I have wrote you sevrel letters but didn't git
any answer you write to me when you git this letter if you pleas tell epraim
I wrote him two letters
and he did not anser them and i dont intend to write to him till he writes to me.
tell Harris to write to me I havent drawed any money yet. I must git this time some more at
port sent
but remenber
Hearvey
J. Slutts to Noah Slutts
Derect to St Louis
Mosuri
Photo of courtesy of Diane
Hacker
