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C h a p t e r 2 Guarding the Rails January–June, 1863 The letters that cover 1863 included a number of letters to and from Haven ’s parents that regularly discussed local and national politics and the fears that those against the war would gain political power. For the first six months of 1863, Haven guarded the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. Although the regiment saw no major military action, the protection of Union supply and communication lines proved vital for the success and maintenance of military campaigns. Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant received orders to lead a force to capture the city of Vicksburg, the last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. Grant’s army moved from Tennessee into northern Mississippi in December 1862. On December 20, 1862, Confederate forces under Gen. Earl VanDornsurprisedGrant’sarmyatHollySprings,Mississippi,capturingnearly fifteen hundred soldiers, burning four hundred bales of cotton, and stealing nearly$1millionworthofsupplies.HollySprings,aboutfortymilessoutheastof Memphis, Tennessee, emerged as a major supply center for Grant’s maneuvers on Vicksburg, and the successful attack by the Confederates slowed Grant’s advance. Haven used the down time to talk about his perceptions of African Americans and Southerners, the state of the war for both the United States and the Confederacy, and how the regiment handled their military obligations. Fort Pickering, Memphis, Tennessee, January 4, 1863 Dear Jane, I take my pen tonight to let you know that I am well, and enjoying myself as well as I can under the circumstances. I want to see you very bad. I have not had any letters from you since I left Cairo and I expect all my mail was burnt up at Holly Springs. There was a number of our Regiment taken prisoners there, but none of our company. I some expect that we shall go to the regiment 35 36 “a punishment on the nation” soon as they have got the railroad open to that place. There was one division of Grant’s army here last week after provisions, and they opened the railroad and are guarding it. The first train came in last night. I was in the city last week and had quite a chance to see it. There are a great number of nice buildings there and is a real pretty place. I was in the park. It is one block and has an iron fence around it and has walks through it every way and has some nice trees and seat to set down on. There was a yard eight squares in the center and Gen. Jackson’s monument in it fixed up real nice.1 The words on one side had been defaced some with a chisel. They were “The Federal Union must be preserved”; the words “the Federal” and the letter u were the only ones that were defaced any. There was a tame grey squirrel there running around. I wish you could have seen it. They are quite busy here in the fort finishing it up. I guess they are going to make this quite military post by the actions they are tearing down all the houses in front of the fort and they are going to build a large war house inside and a number of magazines, and I expect that they will build barracks as soon as they can get lumber. Gen. Grant gets his supplies from here and they have a lot on hand and more coming every day. I don’t know where our regiment is. It may have gone to either Nashville or Vicksburg; the last we heard of it, it was at or near Holly Springs, guarding railroad; if they are there now, we probably shall go to them soon.2 I am in hopes to get some letters before we do. I expect that you get the war news before we do, so I will not say much about it. They have had (and I don’t know but what they are still having) a big battle at Vicksburg.3 I suppose you will hear the result before this reaches you. Gen. Smith’s body went up the river yesterday and Gen. J. B. Wyman’s body is here in town on its way up. They are having a desperate battle there and a heavy loss on both sides.4 The last report we had was that our forces had twenty-eight thousand prisoners and had got possession of the city. When Vicksburg falls, our fighting in the west is...

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