Near Vicksburg, Miss, June 13th 1863

Lieut Jordan

Dear Sir

Your kind Letter is Before me and although I have A Very Pore Chance to write I shall endeavor to answer it.

I Dont know as I can tell you any News as you have got all the Purticulaurs By way of the Paper about our fighting. Their has Been Nothing Don Since the 22th worth mentioning. I tell you Lieutenant we have Seen the Elephant this trip. We have got So used to Balls and Shells that if we are Asleep it Dosnot wake us up. Their has Scaircly Been a Day Passed Since the first Day of May But we have heard the Balls whistle over our heads. We have Been very Lucky in our Company. We have had None killed and But four wounded. Fred Dixon two forefingers off his Right hand, Jim Parsons first finger off, Robert Russel Badly the Ball Struck him in the left Side and Came out at his back the Ball Passing through his Left Lung. He is Pretty Bad But the Doctors think he will git well. They Seam to have A Spite at me they give me A Slight wound above my Right elbow. I Cant See what they have against me. I never Don them any harm. I allways knew the Rebs was Cairless how they Shot But they was more So the Day of the Charge than ever. But I was very fortunate to git off as well as I Did for had it Come with A Little more force it would have Ruined my arm entirely . . .

I Sopose you know more about the movements of the army than I Do for you know A soldier knows But Litle about what is gowing to Be Don. All we know is what we See and that Dosnot extend A greate ways for we are Cept Pretty Close. We are Laying in A Bigg hollow about nine hundred Yards from the Fort. Our Pickets is within two hundred Yards in Places, we have Been Diging Rifle Pitts ever since the Day of the Charge, we Ceep working A Little Closter evry Day or two. I Cant tell how Long it will take to Siege the Place. Two and three Rebs Comes over Per Day and Gives themselfs up. Some of them Say they Canot hold out But A few Days while others Say we Can never take the Place But I feel Confident that we will have the Place and that Before A greate while. I understand that General Burnside arived hear Last Night with his force from up the River. The Reble Prisoners tells us that their onley hope is in an attact in the Rear But if any thing of the kind Should happen I guess old Grant will Be able for them. I hope So at Least. I never want to have to make another trile at it, when we Leave this old hollow I want to go Right into the Citty of Vicksburge.

. . . . I wish you was hear with us. We have A Greate Deal of Sport with our hardships. You Spoke of Sending in your resignation Papers. If your health will allow it I want you to Come Back But if your health is to Pore to Stand the hardships of A Soldiers Life I would Be the Last Man to insist on your Coming Back . . . .

Please write soon and often

Jno Sims to Lieut Jordan