Vicksburg Miss February 7th 1863

Dear sister
I this eavening write you a few lines
to let you no how I am and how I am agetting
along my health is good thouhg we have a rite
Smart work to do we are out pickettin about
everry third nite the yankeys are rite opposite to
Vicksburg in considerable force we are expecting
an at tact on this p[l]ace eny day They pased a
Gunboat down by our batteries about a week
ago we fired several rounds at her as
she pased but dont think that we hurt
her verry mutch in fact the battrie me[n] at
the battries above town were nearly all in town
Drunk on a spree so that the boat had nearly
got by be fore the[y] could put men enought at
the batteries to man them though I dont think
that they will try to carry another by soon
if they do they will find our pateries men
at their post (Brig Gen S D Lee is in
command of the Batteries at this time
he also has command of a brigade of Infantry
Comprised of the 17. 26. 27. 28. 31. Louisiana &
4 & 46 Miss Regts he was in command at
the fight of Chickasaw Bayo he stands high
as a gentle man & a soldier her we all have
the ut most confidence in him he has been
in twenty one fights since the war com
menced in Short he is the rite man in the
rite place. I suppose ere this you have got
the letter I rote to Mother on the 4 or 5th January
I received your welcome letter in due time
an would have wrote to you be fore now
[page 2]
but we have been loocking for another fight
ever since I received your letter but the yanks
apear jubus of us. Deserters comes over evry day and
say that if they could get across the Miss that
half of their army would Desert. Their army here
is pretty mutch demorallised from what I can
learn. the river is agetting verry high and still
Rising at the Rates of 8 to 12 inches in 24 hours
the yankeys on the other side of the river will
soon have to get on their boats or move their Loca
tion to some higher point that the one they now
ocupy for the water is getting among them
already the canal they dug on the other side of
the River is a complet failure I learn
The health of the army here is verry good
there some smallpox at the city hsopital but
it is of a mild form. th[e]re is som firing
to day between the gunboats and our batteries
we dont no what moment we may be attacked we fell
per fectly satis fied of being being able to maintain
our selves an whip the yanks any way they
may attact us give my love to all of the con-
nection and enguiring friends so nothing
more at this time but remains your
Brother
M S Hunter