[Besieging Vicksburg. David is David McKinney. Though the wedding did take place in September, I don’t know whether DPG ended up getting married as a soldier or a civilian.]
In. Field. in Rear. of. Vicksburg.
May 26th 1863
My Dear Anna
Your very welcome Letter of the 12th came safely to hand and I assure you was joyfully received. Our mails of late have not been very regular and often a long time passes away without hearing anything from you. I have not been able to write to you very often of late as we have been travelling through the country and never have had any chance of sending our mails away This will account for you not sending getting many letters from me of late, but [p2] I assure you it was not for want of inclination that I did not write you oftener for nothing would give me more pleasure than to write you a letter every day. I often very often think of you and wish that I could again be with you.
We are now lying up within three or four hundred yards of the Rebel Fortifications and making a Regular Siege of it, and I think before long we will be able to call Vicksburg our own. I wrote you two or three days ago giving you an account of our charge on the Fortifications. I do not think any more charges will be made, as it was entirely to destructive on our Men. we were cut up awfully and I never want to be engaged in anything of this Kind again. [p3]
This evening we received orders that we should form line and sleep on our Arms, as it was expected that the Rebels would try to cut their way through our lines and escape. I do not think they will try this, for they certainly would fare rather badly in getting through.
I really wish that we had Vicksburg in our possession as I am getting tired of the fighting business, for we have been continually at it ever since we left the Missippi River over a month ago. I think I can make my arrangements so that I can get home about the last of August, so that we can get married about the first of September. I agree fully with you about having a [p4] crowd at our wedding. I do not care about making any fuss or display, and all I care about having present is our connexion. We will make a sort of Private display about it and get through with it as soon as possible. I will have to get your opinion + wishes about whether I shall be married as a citizen or a soldier. This is shall I appear in citizen dress or military which I now belong to. I am ignorant on this subject, and really do not Know which would be proper. I will be guided entirely in this by you. You do not seem to want to see any of your friends on our trip. now if we should happen to go East, I do not beleive we can get around without running across some of our Relations. both you [p5] and I, you know are blessed with quite a large connexion.
I shall try to get stationed at some post this Fall + winter. I may not succeed in doing so, but I have strong hopes of being able to do something in this way. Two of our officers both from Elmwood were wounded and leave for home tomorrow and I intend sending this letter by them. I met with my usual good fortune and escaped without a scratch although I never run so many narrow chances in my life, several times during the engagement I had no idea that I would get through unhurt.
David’s health is good and he is going to morrow down [p6] to Warrenton after Provisions.
I can not write you any more this evening as I have to attend to getting the men in line, and ready for the Enemy if they should happen to come out on us this night. Do write me often, I will write you every opportunity I can find to send a letter away and beleive me dear Anna to be Ever Yours
D.P.Grier
