Friday [June] 12 [1863]

Since the 10th we have had
the usual amount of
firing on land and river
fronts -- on 11th the mortars
were particularly furious
and spiteful -- seven shells
being in the air at once,
sometimes -- an average of
two a minute. The enemy
has opened with a colum-
biad, on Hébert -- battered
his works a great deal;
but as our parapets are
destroyed we sink lower
into the hill and thus
each night repair the
effects of their fire during
the day -- no nearer reduc-
tion than we were three
weeks ago -- in deed if any-
thing stronger, except that
so unprecedented a length
of time for the men in the
trenches necessarily wearies
them: and the reduced
rations very naturally also
tells upon them; but, as
far as I am informed on
the subject, their spirits
are still good and their
determination to hold out
and withstand the enemy
as long as our supplies
last, is strong. In a day
or two the beef gives out and
we must come down to
mules, cats and dogs et id
omne genus -- if we would
eat meat at all. I think
I would refrain from it
but that it will hereafter
add to the interest of our
siege here to think of our
having become such epicures
as to get up such dishes
as barbecued cat, dog-
steaks, rat soup &c

Two of our heavy guns on
extreme right of river bat-
teries, near left of entrench-
ments, badly battered by
the enemy's heavy
artillery [-] of their
parapets all knocked to
pieces and burnt.

Courier arrived from
Genl Johnston today --
gave us great gratifica-
tion to hear once again
from the outside world --
The papers he brought
were greedily devoured
by us all: and from
them the principal news
was taken and reprinted
on small sheet here for
the benefit of the soldiers.
Sheet -- editorials &c - gotten up
by Louis Montgomery, who
has before been at the busi-
ness of newspaper editing.