May the 20th 1863
Camp 9 miles from Canton Miss
Dear wief I drop you a line to let
you noe that I am well hopeing this
will you & the childering well
I have got more to rite than
I can rite at present I rote
you a letter on the 16th giveing
you a description of the Jackson
fight of the 14th inst and our
forces haveing to retreat and
we looseing all our nap Sacks
blankets & close in fact ever
thing we had and we have bin
retreating a bout ever sice
waiting for renforcements wich
I think we will get Soon and
then I think we will attack them
the yanks have cut off all
communication from Vicksburg
tha have now 160000 men on land
and I Shall not be attall supprised
if Vicksburg didnt fall Soon if does
we are a whiped people I am a fraid
but we will make a death Struggle
to keap them from it the yanks have
fell back from Jackson but tha have
ruined the place to see the way tha [??]
[photograph of page 2 is defective]