Civil War: on board the Steamer John Raine 1862

Name JAN BETTENCOURT
E- mail: JANNPAUL@WMCONNECT.COM

U.S. Steamer John Raine
Vicksburg, Miss.
April 22nd 1862

Miss Lidia Burgess

Your Kind Letteer Of The 12 Ins, Came To Hand This Morning Finding Me Enjoying Reasonable Fashion Of Health, I Got One Letter From Ashley Some Time Ago. I Will Send It Enclosed With This And You Can See For Your Self What He Has To Say. I Also Herd From Him A Few Days Ago They Was In Al. Then. I Don't Think They Will Be Sent To Richman On The Account Of Our Troops. You Spoke Of The File At Columbus I Guess It's A Mistake But Perhaps You Have Herd Of The File At Fort Sillow? One Of The Most Horred Things I Ever Herd Of On The Nite Of The 22 The Gun Boat Number 5 Was Sunk Up The Yazoo River And Number 11 There Was 3 Shots Entered Him But She Made His Escape Being Disabled Some. The Dianna And The Adams They Run Up And The Rebs They Disapered, The Hopital Woodford Was Sunk Up Red River She Run Afowl Of A Snag And Sunk In 15 Feet Of Water, No Lives Lost. One Of Our Transports Was Sunk Below Natier By The Rebs Nite Before Last.

It Appears As Tho The Rebs Are Getting The Upper Hand Of Us Now. This Is All Done By These Gorillas.We Have Just Come In From The River But We Coudn't Find Anything. I Guess They Are Afraid Of The Marines. You Wanted To Know About Our File. We Was Guarding A Train Of Cotton And As We Was Coming In We Was Ambooshed ... We Fought Them About 20 Minutes When They Retreated Killing 2 Of Our Men And Taking 10 Prisoner. We Killed 5 There Men And Held Our Ground And Wounded Some They Took All Of Our Advanced Guards. Ash Was In The Advanced.

Please Exuse This As I Am Have A Lame Arm And Can't Write Much. And Write When Concenietn And Direct To As Before

Respectfuly Yours J.H. Hill

Notes: This Writer Is A Friend Of Ashley J. Frazier, He Is Writing To Cousin Lydia To Let Her Know That Ashley Has Been Taken Prisoner.