Transcribed and submitted by
Teri Button
Great Great Granddaughter of Charles Hennrich
The following partial letter was written in June, 1863:
"without doing much damage except that they had torn up the rails and damaged the telegraph. This was all repaired so that by 11 o'clock the train from Memphis came and could pass again. We have heard nothing of them for several days now.
Dear parents, I am glad that you sent me Phillip Dock's address. I would have written to him long ago if I had known what army corps he belong to.
Things are tough at Vicksburg. When General Grant wanted to blow up the fort he sent in orders to send the women away. But they did not want to do that. After a few days the women and children came out and fell on their knees before Grant begging that he give them food. He chased them back however, telling them that at first they were too stubborn and now they would have to stand it. Over 190 women and children have already been killed. It would be good if they would all surrender. Here in the south the women are much worse than the men that are still at home.
Dear parents, we have gathered from the officers that we will not be here much longer. Our Army Corps, the 16th, is supposed to march thru the states of Mississippi and Alabama. But I think nothing will occur here until Vicksburg is taken.
Dear parents, you wrote that you have a paper to read. If you wish to be so good you could send it to me each week after you have read it. Then one could kill a little time reading as there is nothing to do here except to drill and go on picket duty. It seems as if our Army Corps has started a second rest on the Potomac.
Now I will close and send my greetings to all of you. Greet Fritz Doch and family and I will write to Phillip if he is still alive. Greet Heinrich Kregel and his family for me.