Vicksburg July 11th 63 

                                      3rd Epistle 

Capt James Burnett was Killed 

while his Reg,t was Supporting ours 

on the left at the Battle of Bakers 

Creek or Champion hill he was not 

more than a hundred yards from me 

when he was Killed but I did not see 

him nor hear of his death till the next 

day; Capt Rogers of McAlisters 

Battery was Killed Just at our left 

on the line of our forts in front of 

vicksburg; a Surgeon of the 17th Ills 

was Killed about the Same time & 

and at the Same place; he lived in 

Monmouth;   We have Seen verry hard 

Service for the past two months 

I have not Slept in our Tents since 

the 26th of April; but we have got 

our tents now and we will put them 

up in a day or two; After Port 

Hudson has fallen in our hands 

we will have the Entire control 

of the Missippi River and [crossed out] [a] 
effectually cut off Rebel Supplies 

from Arkansas Louisiana and 

Texas which is now a material 

item to them; If the Army of 

the Potomac could Succeed in 

giving Lees Army a good cleaning 

out I think the Rebels would begin 

to think their day of Grace was 

about passed; I was glad to 

hear from Mother I will write to 

her Soon; Cousin Jack [illegible] 

is Cap,t in the 59th Ohio Regt 

I Saw John Trannum the other 

day [crossed out] [day] he is in the 16th Iowa 

Harris Trannum got away from 

the Rebels in Texas last fall and 

come through to Cairo and Joined 

the 87th Ills Reg,t he is here but I 

have not Seen him: I have not had 

a letter from William Since I wrote 

to Isaac I Recd a note from the 

post master at Memphis the other day 
 Stating there was a letter stoped 

there at the office for the postage 

and said if I would send him 

three cents he would forward it to 

me; I think it is from will for 

he has franked several letters to 

me and the post master had no 

Busines to Stop it 

You Say you do not know what 

a Copper head; is; from what you 

wrote I thought you did; in my other 

letter I told you what Copperhead 

were or what I understand them 

to be; I think think you have been 

Swallowing Some polittical 

arguments that you did not under 

stand for I See you like many 

others are too Ready to call Everybody 

Abolitionist that are not Strictly 

Democrat: Men that are Loyal both 

Democrat and Republican I make 

no Distinction between then I 

    Respect and honor them both alike 
I am not an abolitionist; neither 

am I a copperhead, but as the 

[illegible] Rebellion has gone as far as it 

has; I am Strictly a Proclimation 

man And that is Whats the  

   Matter; If pollitical parties  

understood Each other better there 

would not not be So mutch conten 

tion between people that had a 

Disposition to do right; perhaps 

I will tire your patience with 

what I have written So I will 

close tell George I would like to 

hear from him 

     Give my Best Respects [illegible] 

and Well wishes to all my friend 

      I Remain Yours Truly 

as ever 

                                 Thos. J. Davis 

               George W. & Elisabeth Ditto 

Direct to Vicksburg Miss