LETTER FROM VICKSBURG
Republican Advocate ~ Batavia NY   August 18-1863

We are under obligations to Mr. H.J. Ensign, of this place, for the privilege of publishing the following letter, written to him by Capt. Ely S. Parker, of this county, and now of Gen. Grant's staff. It is a very interesting letter, and will be read with pleasure by the many friends and acquaintances of the writer:

 HEADQUARTERS,
7th Division, 17th Army Corps,
Vicksburg, Miss., July 29, '63.

H. J. Ensign, Esq. - My Dear Friend:  I hope that you will not consider me as intruding upon your valuable time because I send you these few lines. The
fact is, my present duties are not very arduous, and I find considerable spare time on my hands - by "spare time," I mean time not employed in the
discharge of any necessary official duty.  This spare time affords an ample opportunity for reading, reflection, and observation. My reading is confined
to military works and such trash as the rebels have left in their deserted houses.  My observations embrace the military works about this city, its
general topography, the apparent feeling of the few inhabitants left in the place, the characteristics of the freed negroes, thousands of whom are
crowded into this place; and, also, the feelings and hopes of our troops. My reflections, in my absent moods, embrace the history of our once prosperous
and yet beloved country, and its prospects and probably destiny; and when I tire of such a perplexing question, I imperceptibly find myself thinking of
home, and the few friends I have left behind me. Yourself and wife, of course, are among the most prominent of my respected and kind friends - and
being so regarded by me, I am bold to write you this letter.

First, then, let me premise by saying that my trip to this city was very dull and tedious. I spent one day in Cincinnati, the pork city of Ohio. I was fortunate in finding at Cairo a boat bound down the river to Memphis, which place I reached on Sunday, 2d inst.  Here our boat, and indeed, all
boats, were stopped, by order of Gen. Hurlburt, Commanding the Post, in consequence of the fight at Helena on the day before. On the next morning
the embargo on boats was removed, and I started for Vicksburg on the boat Hope, my old boat having been ordered back to Cairo  At this point a rumor
reached us that Vicksburg had fallen. We could hardly believed it.  Upon reaching Helena, however, the rumor was confirmed, and we began to entertain hopes that ours would be the first passenger boat to land at the levee in Vicksburg. Here, also, we learned that the river below was seriously
infested with guerilla bands, who were firing into the boats passing up and down. It became necessary, therefore, for us to ask for a gunboat escort,
our boat being heavily loaded with government stores. We were directed to proceed to the mouth of White river, where a convoy was promised us. We had not proceeded over twenty or thirty miles, before our Captain discovered a guerilla force some distance ahead of us.  Accordingly, we laid by until
four boats were congregated, and then we all proceeded, under the protection of a gunboat, to White river.  We laid here half a day, when we again
proceeded, convoyed by two gunboats, and finally reached Vicksburg in safety, without seeing a guerilla or having a shot fired into us.  For my
part, I was very sorry that we could not have an adventure of some kind. By the way, though, we did have a small accident while on the river, just about
Milliken's Bend.   It was nothing more nor less than the drowning of two men - one from the gunboat in advance of us, and the other from our own
boat. Both were drowned in about five minutes of each other, and must have been in company in going to the spirit-land. We fished around for them a few minutes, and then proceeded on our trip.

Having reached Vicksburg, I immediately reported at these headquarters; and after refreshing myself, my Commanding General and myself called upon Gen. Grant, by whom we were kindly and graciously entertained for over an hour. The General was in excellent humor, and well he might be, after having taken this place and broken one of the best appointed armies of the Confederate States. The next day (the 8th) my General and myself went out to look at the rebel defences and our siege works.   I spent half a day in this manner very profitably and satisfactorily.  This place could never have been taken by assault - it was starvation among the besieged that drove them to capitulate. It is true, their provisions were not all exhausted, but for some time they had been living on short rations; and many, very many, of them had begun to accustom themselves to mule steaks and horse soup.  I have visited a number of families who, to my knowledge, were once wealthy, and accustomed to have every luxury, who latterly had enjoyed meals, the principal dish of which would be a mule steak or roast rump of mule. At least, they so informed me, and I sincerely believe it.
 

For a few days after I arrived here the population of this place was rather conglomerate in its character - that is to say, mixed.  The butternut uniform predominated; for you must bear in mind that there were about 25,000 effective rebel troops in the town, and their hospitals contained nearly 7,000 sick, while of our troops only one corps was in town - the rest of the army having already been sent to other points to pay their effective compliments to the rebels. -  The rebels are a hard-looking set of men, and their peculiar and dirty uniform only makes them look worse. They really look as if they were, or might make, splendid soldiers for the Evil One himself.  Pemberton is a fine looking man, aged about 40, and bears himself every inch a soldier. I do not believe is a coward, but he is unfortunate in being on the wrong side of the house. After the secesh troops were parolled, they were two days marching out of town. I watched them until I got sick of the sight. Many of them were glad to get away so well, and a few expressed a wish for a speedy exchange, so that they might be at us again.   

This country is exceedingly broken - nothing like it in the East - so, I can give you no idea of it. The ridges are very abundant, very narrow, and run in all directions. Their sides are very steep - the gullies, of course, are equally numerous  - and many of them are densely covered with canebrakes and tangled underbrush. Within the rebel works all these ravines were necessarily cleaned out, and the slopes of every ridge were filled with Innumerable holes or excavations, in which the rebel soldiers lived.   In town these excavations were equally numerous, but more extensive - most of them extending into various compartments; and here dwell the families. Many of these underground abodes were beautifully and elegantly furnished - that is to say, there were carpeted, and furnished with mahogany or rosewood chairs, sofas, pianos, etc.  This mode of living seemed to be necessary, for it was not safe to live in houses above ground. The messengers of death, in the shape of shot, shell, and Minie balls, that Grant sent into town, were no respecters of persons or property.  If a ball struck a house, it was very apt to do damage, and I judge such things are not very pleasant companions.

I have seen in almost every part of this little city, and I have not yet seen a house of any kind that has not been struck from one to a dozen times. The ground about town is literally covered with fragments of shot and shell. Lead, also, is in abundance on the ground. I do not know how may have been
killed in town during the siege, but the entire country within the rebel works is one vast cemetery; and what is worse, the dead are buried very carelessly, for we frequently see the head or some of the limbs protruding out of the ground. My horse one day stepped on a poor fellow's stomach,
putting his foot clear through him.  It did not, of course, hurt him, but it was very disagreeable to me.

 The weather is very hot here.  The thermometer ranged, for several days, as high as 110 [degrees]. For the last two or three days, it has slightly cooled off.   My health is good. You must pardon me for writing so long a letter. I will break off abruptly, because I cannot stop in any other way. I could write on indefinitely upon things I have seen here and know something about; but I am afraid it would bore you. I desist, therefore, from writing any more at
present.

Respectfully yours,
Ely S. Parker.
 

LETTER FROM THE ARMY.
Republican Advocate - Batavia NY - June 11-1864.

 

    We are permitted to make a few extracts from a letter written by Capt. Ely S. Parker, Chief Engineer on Grant's Staff, to our townsman H.J. Ensign, giving an outline of the movements of the Army of the Potomac since its advance from its winter quarters. We think the many friends of the Captain will be interested by its perusal : -

  

  ~ Hanover Junction, Va., May 26.

     The army has advanced thus far towards Richmond, and we "still live." - Since we left Culpepper we have had a succession of battles. Almost every foot of the way has been stubbornly contested by Lee's Army, but they have been steadily pressed back, and soon this army will find itself marching into Richmond. Lee may practice his tactics, but they are sure to fail him. Our progress has been rather slow because there seems to be no end to the enemy's line of fortifications. I am of the opinion that the enemy have for a long time had a complete chain of works from the Rapidan back to Richmond.

 

   ~ Under date of May 30th, he writes five miles south of Hanover Town:

       We have had no very heavy fighting since we left Spotsylvania C.H., although the enemy made a heavy attack upon one of our corps south of the North Anna, in which, however, they were repulsed. The day before yesterday, as we lay in Hanover Town, our cavalry met the enemy some three miles south, and had quite a severe engagement; our loss in killed was about 50 and wounded about 300.
 

    I yesterday met Mr. Cotes of Batavia. He looks very well and hardy. Some portions of the country we have passed through is very rich; corn is about six inches high, wheat has headed out and strawberries are ripe.

  

 ~ Writing from Cold Harbor, under date of June 1st, he says:

    Very few people outside of the line of the army know the great improvement made in the art of offensive and defensive warfare since the initiation of the rebellion.  Then entrenchments were very little regarded, and one of the causes for loud complaints and mutinous conduct of the soldiers, was that while they only enlisted to fight, they were also made to work with the spade and pick. Notwithstanding the general intelligence of the army they did not see the utility of digging trenches and throwing up earthworks for protection.

    To-day however, neither this nor the rebel army stop over night at any place without fortifying, and this is done willingly and without orders, whether they have marched one or twenty miles makes no difference.  The consequence of this extreme vigilance and caution has been, so far as the campaign is concerned, that from the Rapidan to this point the country is entirely intersected and covered with all kinds of earth works. It makes no difference whether they are new or not, they are put up and left in a few hours. These works or a series of them are called lines. They are sometimes single, but are more frequently double and treble, and not unfrequently a fourth line is formed. The enemy seldom come out of their works, and it compels us to attack them. If we are too strong for them they abandon the first line and retire into the second, and so on.  Now such fighting is very hard and more destructive of life than open field fighting.
 

    The taking of Richmond is now reduced to a mere question of time. If we can get a good open field fight out of Lee outside of the defences of Richmond, his army and the city fall at the same. We are sure to whip him; at least this is the feeling of the army.