[This letter is written in pencil, which has worn off, particularly along the creases — hence the illegible line on the last page.]
Auburn Miss May 14 1863
My Dearest Anna
Last evening a mail arrived and with it came your welcome letter written on the 27th April. This morning our Teams came up from Millikens Bend and with them came some letters that our Sutler brought with him from Peoria. David handed me the short Letter of yours written on the 21st. for both of these Letters please accept my thanks and I assure you they have cheered me up wonderfully. some time had passed since I had received any Letters and I was afraid that probably our mails would not reach us until after we had taken Vicksburg. We have had [p2] no chance whatever of sending any Letters away since leaving the River, and have to watch an opportunity to send by private hands to Grand Gulf, and then we have to run the risk of having them captured on the road by Gurellias [? guerillas]. Ever since our battle at Port Gibson we have been continually on the march and nearly every day have to march several miles through the broiling sand to form new lines of battle. We arrived here last evening and probably will have to march several miles before Night. Day before yesterday McPhersons Corps had quite a battle at Raymond and drove the Rebels and took possession of the Rail Road. We are now advancing with our whole Army and probably will in a very few [p3] days have a general engagement.
I will not specify our contempl-ated movement, but I think before long you will hear of the fall of Vicksburg. While we are in the state we are now in you must not expect long letters nor many of them for it is very seldom we can find an opportunity of sending and when we do find a chance it is very uncertain whether you will get them or the Rebels, under these circumstan-ces I do not like to write in the same way that I would if I Knew you would receive them. But after we get Vicksburg I will pay up for it all, by writing a great many and very long ones. I do hope you will continue to write just as often, for our mail will follow us with our supply Trains which comes up from the River every week under a strong guard. You say [p4] still that you do not our Wedding until October. Now I do not Know whether I can get home at that time, but I think I can get off the last of August. now say that I get to Peoria at that time and that we get married in the first part of September, one month you know will make but very little difference.
I am now counting the days when September will come and am looking forward to it with a great deal of pleasure. my love for you my dear Anna grows stronger [illegible line] will be a joyful day to me when I can all you my own for ever. Good Bye for the present, and beleive me to be
Yours only
D.P.G.
[This is General Grier’s Civil War’s 100th post!]
