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Letters of Francis William Kimble
14th Iowa Infantry, Company 'B'
Presented by the Iowa Civil War Site
Letter number thirty-one
Vicksburg, Miss April 24, 1864
Dear Mother. As today is the first opportunity that I have had to write for
some time, I thought that I would drop you a few lines to let you know that I
am not dead yet. The day that I last wrote to you we left Alexandria to go up
to a small town by the name of Grandicore. Grandicore is about 90 miles above
Alexandria. When we got up to Grandicore the order was for all the baggage to
go aboard the boat and all the convalesants and of course I was one of the
convalesants for I wasn't very well yet. The calculation was to let the sick
go up the river on the boats and the rest to march to keep the enemy off. The
morning of the 6th the troops started and the boats started towards evening.
We went on up the river tell the night of the 10th when we got orders to turn
back down the river or we would all be captured. The news came to us that Gen
Banks with the 13th army corp was all cut to pieces the day before. We did
not believe it right away but we still got more news till we had to believe
some of it and sure enough it was so. Not only Banks had a fight but Gen
A.J.Smith that commands our division. The whole division was in the fight.
The 14th Iowa was in the thickest of the second day's fight. The first day
Banks and his men fought them and got whipped and the 2nd day Smith and the
16 & 17th army corps fought them and whipped them but it was a very bloody
battle. For my part I don't think either side will brag. A regt of sesh
calvary charged on the 14th Iowa and only about 6 or 8 got back alive. The
loss in our regt is 83 killed, wounded and missing. Amongst the rest was one
brave lieutenant, Colonel Newbolt and 4 lieutenants, the names is as follows:
Logan, Shanklin Haselet and McMillan. My Co lost 3 killed that we are certain
of and another one wounded and missing and another one missing entirely. Some
few others is wounded in the company.The orderly got struck in the shoulder
by a piece of shell. I don't know how bad it is but he was taken to the
hospital. The most of our wounded is in the hands of the rebs. They hold the
battlefield. After our boys had whipped the rebs, Banks got scared and
ordered a retreat. Two boys came into our camp a couple days after the fight
and they say part of the reb army run 15 miles the same night. Colonel Shaw
cussed and dammed Gen Banks for retreating. Just the same as tho he had been
one of his own regt. Our boys hates Banks as bad as they do a reb. The rebs
say Banks makes them just as good a commissary as they want. In his fight
with them he lost nearly 100 wagons of commissary goods, or rather not
commissary neither, for it was whiskey and other fine stuff he had for
himself and staff. Nearly every reb that we took prisoner was drunk. They had
their canteens filled with whiskey and gun pwdr. They said that they got
their whiskey from Banks the day before and I guess it is so. Well when the
boats turned to come down the river then it was the rebs time for fun. I
believe we had about 10 gun boats with the fleet and about 2400 well men on
board of the transports besides a large number of men that wasn't able for
the march. The rebs shelled us several times with the light artillery but our
gun boats would drive them off in a minute. We hated their bullets worse than
cannon but we got out without loosing any of our boats and there was but few
lives lost. Going up we went very slow. The boats lay still about one half of
the time so of course I would be off the boat when I thought that I could get
anything good to eat. One evening I got a little flour and a chicken and 18
eggs and a mess of young cabbage for it made the best greens I thought I ever
ate. I make a very good cook when I can't find a better one. I got a little
milk a time or two but it was scarce. You need not be alarmed when I tell you
that I am in the hospital at Vicksburg for a man that went down the river as
sick as I, I think is doing very well to get back alive. I am in the Mariene
Hospital N3. I came here night before last. Red River is a getting so low
that the largest boats of the fleet cannot get down. The morning of the 17th,
Smith gave his men to put all of their baggage on board of the boats and all
the men that wasn't able to march, to go aboard to so myself and one of our
fifers went to the boat and the next morning our doctor came to me and told
me that he was a going to send me down the river on another boat, a hospital
boat. That suited me. We started the 18th and landed at Vicksburg the 21st at
noon. I was sent to the convalescent camp but it did not suit me so I
reported myself and 2 other 14th men to the hospital. I ain't very sick. I
can run round town if they would let me. I haven't had pay for nearly 4
months and I am out of money so send a few dollars, not over 5. I will close
by saying good evening to all. Your son F.W. Kimble.. Direct your letter just
as this is written: W.F.Kimble, Marien Hospital, Vicksburg, Miss. CoB 14th
Iowa V.F.
Transcribed and submitted by great great niece
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Iowa In the Civil War
