Sergeant William Winters of the 67th Indiana Infantry had described the ongoing bombardment of Vicksburg to his wife on June 21: “For six hours our artilery opened on the rebel works at six oclock and poured it into them untill thenn, and such a roar of canon as was never heard in this neck of the woods before.” After the surrender Winters surveyed the result of weeks of shelling.
Division Hospital, rear of Vicksburgh, July 6th, 1863
Dear Wife,
Vicksburgh is ours!
Pemberton surendered on the 4th, and such a day was never known in this country, I know, for we had got tired of laying here in these hollows and pounding without doing verey mutch aparent good, but the rebs had to come to it at last, but they held out as long as they had any thing to eat and actuly eat mule beef before they surendered.
I was down to the city on yesterday afternoon and took a stroll through the town looking at the work of destruction which is visable on every hand. The effects of our mortor shell is frightfull to look at, for where ever they struck they lef a frightful mark. I saw houses that shells from our mortor had struck and went straight down through from the roof to the cellar and the hole was large enough to drop a bushell basket through and some would take out nearly one whole side [ ]. When they struck the ground before bursting, they left a queer looking hole. Some of them left a place resembling a potatoe hill where the potatoes had cracked the hill all open, only in size they looked as if a cow was buried on the top of the ground. Others again would throw the dirt about and leave a hole that would hid a hogshead, and the efect of the shot and shell in some places is terible to look at. I saw one house that had 27 round shot holes in it and I dont know how many from musket balls and fragments of shell, but it was an awfull sight.
And then the greatest curiosity was the caves in the hill side that the citisens have dug to protect themselves from the deadly misels that our guns were constatly hurling into their midst. They cut them with the roof arched and the side of them trimmed down very smooth, and there was this rush carpet laid down to walk upon and nicly tacked around over the walls and ceiling so as to keep their clothes clean; and from the looks, every family in the city must of had one or more as the hills are perfectly full of them. I counted 20 in one roe in one place and sixteen in another, and I had not time to take particular notice. I only saw those that I walked pased.
This city looks dirty and disgraceful, a great many of the residents having left for safer quarters some 2 months ago, and the dust is so deep and dry that it has setled all over everything and gives the place a forlorn and forsaken apearance. And then to see those poor sick rebels lying about dirty and raged! Everything around them looks filthy and greasey and the atmosphere is full of a nasty, sickening, humid smell ariseing from the decaying animal matter and ofals of one kind and another that is laying around in every direction. The quarters where their men stay are perfectly filthy, and their hospitals are but verey litle better. those in the field are no better. I should like to have you see the diferenace between where I have my men quartered at and one of those rebel hospitals, as they choose to call them. I have my men all upon cots and with bed sacks filled with cotton, a clean white sheet spread over that, and then I made them all put on clen white shirts and red flanel drawers, and they look realey comfortable. And then I keep the tents and quarters swept up clean, and I think if some of those rebel surgeons would come out and look at our division Hospital they would think that our sanitary societies at home were doeing a noble work and they would go back and make their men keep themselves more clean and tidy. We have not nearly the amount of sickness that they have, notwithstanding they are in their own climate and we are not. I saw a great maney that were nearly eat up with the scurvey, something we have not been troubled with as yet, having had only a few cases and those were not bad.
I took a strole down along the levey, and it was perfectly crowded with rebs looking at our gun boats and steam boats. The wharf was crowded for a mile with boats, something that plenty of the rebels had never saw, having lived away back in the interior. And it was amusing to hear the remarks that some of them would make as the sailors from the gun boats would come off from their boats to see what damage their firing had done to the rebel town and fortifacations. Whenever the rebels would see a black sailor with his white pants and blue shirt they would swear at an awful rate.
But the most of them dont want to be paroled at all. They say they want to go north untill this war is over as they are tired of it, or if they cant do that they want to take the oath of alegiance and then go north untill the war is over, as they are satisfied of how the thing is going. Some of them, however, swear that they will fight us as long as they live or have a foot of ground to fight upon, but they are only the fewest [ ].
We are going to send Joe gambold up the river to Memphis or some other place, as there is no chance for him to get well down here.
the Regiment left yesterday in morning for to try old Joe Johnson a fight if he will stop for them to do it. we heard to day noon that they had him surounded some where between here and Jackson, but I dont know how true it is.
Well, I guess I have written enough for this time. this is rebel paper that come from Vicksburgh. Give my love to all and write oftener. I haven’t received but one letter in three weeks, and there was from wes the [ ].
Wm. Winter
tell the folks that I am well.
P.S. I wish you had some peaches like I paid a dime for a half a dozen of yesterday—if I had only had some cream.
Bill
Joe gamboled leaves for the river this afternoon.
Bill
What do you think of rebel letter paper? And then what is the matter with Mat Beavers? Is she mareed yet to Jotham Sleare?