4th July '63

Vcksburg falls. O God! what a blow
it is to our government!
How can we retrieve so
great a loss?

In the council of war,
on the acceptance or rejection
of terms of capitulation, Genl
Pemberton expressed himself
throughout as in favor of an
attempt to cut our way
out -- deeming it practicable
to carry through at
least ten thousand men, from the
reports of the Generals on
the physique & morale of
the troops; but he yielded his
opinion as to the feasibility
of this undertaking to the
judgment of the more im-
mediate commanders of the men,
whose idea, generally
seemed to be that their troops
would remain in good spirits
and continue in fine fighting
order while in the trenches,
but that on leaving these
and taking up a line of
march in their jaded & worn
condition they would
be little likely to accomplish
the severe task of storming
the enemy's works -- which
are stronger and more extensive
than our own -- and of
combatting and forcing a
passage through a force,
greatly outnumbering them
and perfectly fresh.

At 10 o'c we ride to
the trenches, at the Jackson
road, and witness the galling
sight of our brave
and gallant troops, who
have so nobly and heroicly
defended these works for
forty seven days, marching
out and stacking
their arms and colors to a
foe, who was not able to
overcome us
and bring us to this most unfortunate
pass by good hard fighting
but reduced us by encircling
our garrison with a horde and bringing
it to starvation.

The Yankees were thronging
their works, & their bands
playing the national airs, looking on of course with
much delight and gratification
at the -- to us -- humiliating
spectacle, of our brave
boys abandoning the arms
that they have so
gallantly and effectually
used.

We leave the works
and go to the "Stone House"
to await Genl Grant; who
presently arrives with
a large attendance of officers,
and civilians -- curious
seekers of novelties, a class
that ever forms no in-
considerable portion of
every assembly of Northerners.

Our victors deport them-
selves with dignity and
politeness and acquaintances
on opposing sides are soon
mixing together and con-
versing pleasantly. Would that I
could say that they had continued
their good conduct and
consideration, but no: their
men were soon swarming
into town and committing
all manner of depred-
ations -- breaking into houses
& stores, and appropriating
every thing portable
of value -- insulting the citizens --
tampering with our negroes
and in every way making
themselves as offensive
as 'tis possible for con-
querors to be to their un-
armed prisoners. I
wonder much that there
has been no collision
between our men & those of
the enemy -- they are knocking
together through the town
and in the camps: and
for bitter antagonists to
do this for any time with-
out some difficulty oc-
curring seems to me im-
possible: and I am con-
sequently very impatient
at the slowness of the
enemy in paroling our
men, so that we may
leave the cursed and
oppressive confines of
their camps, and breath
once more freely and un-
restrained in the limits
still held by our own
government -- which limits,
by the way, I fear are
about being, by the results
of this summer campaign,
greatly contracted: but
let the southern people
show the true grit that
is in them,when they are
as it were, driven to
the wall, and rise
superior to every defeat
and difficulty, and stand
up to the colors as long
as their is a vestige of
hope -- remembering that
the darkest hour is that
before dawn.