[Penciled in on top of Scan 1 [July 24, 1863] ]

	Milldale Mississippi 
	July 24th 1863
Dear Mother [illegible in original]
happy to Receive a letter 
from you last night and
to hear you were well [illegible in original]
have just got back to our
old camp again after a hard
campaign of twenty days
we left our camp  [illegible in original]
night of the fourth after 
receiving the news of the 
fall of Vicksburg we had
orders to be ready to march
at [four?] Oclock in tight
marching order they told
us to pack our knapsacks 
and leave them as we should
go back in a few days
so I left all my things in


minus my Pen with [illegible in original] of
postage stamps and last
night when we came in
camp I got my knapsack
but it was striped of all
most everything. they took
two pieces of new tent my
Blankets Pens stamps and
a bout 2 lbs of Sugar. 
I am going to try to find
the things for the tents were
marked very plain also
my penholder is marked
and if I find them I will
report them to the Col. and
have them tried on a court
martial. well I will tell
you where we went on our
trip we went out to Jackson
to drive Old Johnson along
from thare  we knew it was not

[On top]

company if she will I will do anything
for her that is in my power

[Inside letter on the middle crease]

tell Sarah I wish She would take up with my advise and not go in bad

[End]

a very hard thing to do
although we were some six
days about it but we did
not have any hard battle
the day we got thare we
formed a line of Battle
in a large cornfield and
marched marched some
three miles with the 18th
N.Y. in front as Scurmish
ers they drove the rebs out
[illegible in original] in without any trouble 
and we followed them through 
the roads most of the way
the next day the 2nd Mich
took the front and we follo
wed them again for a support
our line of Battle was some
three miles long we advanced
about Half a mile before we
came to their Rifle Pits

to return to & comfort you in 
your declining years.
	but as it is very late
		I must close

Yours as Ever
	Edwin Holmes

Mother