My Darling Julia,

I did think and believe I said that I would not write again until I received a letter from you, but I have a chance of sending a letter to Montgomery and will avail myself of the opportunity. I have not received a letter from you in almost 2 weeks. I think the 1st was dated the 2nd. I made up my mind 10 days ago to do without letters for a while for I thought the Yankeys would have us cut off, but they only cut us off one day and we have had regular mails since. I should not think so strange but the boys have been receiving letters from Prattville every mail for the past week, some as late date as the 10th. I am afraid you are sick for I knew you would have written if you are well Perhaps the letters have been lost. I will assure you I have been disappointed in not receiving them. This will make 8 letters that I have sent you this month. I am sending you the number of letters that I have written. I only count the envelopes when I put 2 sheets in one envelope. I only count it as one. I sent you a letter last Tuesday giving an account of the terrible GunBoat fight here one week ago this morning. I sent an account of it to Howell yesterday with permission to publish, thinking the friends there would like to see a letter from here. It will be signed P.E.M so you will know who it is from when you see it. Julia, it was the grandest sight I ever saw or ever expect to see and if I am here 3 years it will be impossible to have a better bombardment. It is impossible to describe it. It would be impossible for a person not here to form a correct idea of it and how we all escaped I cannot see. There is no doubt we killed many of the enemy. I was talking with a prisoner yesterday that was on the Mississippi, he says we killed a large number on his Ship, that he walked over the bodies of 6 men as he left the Ship. We think we killed quite as many on the Richmond as we did on the Mississippi[1]. Genl. Gardner gave us quite a puff and I think very justly. I do not believe there was a man or Officer that flinched. I will not say dodged for I think there was a good deal of dodging. I know I bobbed my head a few times. The fleet is laying about 4 miles below us and have been amusing themselves every evening for the past week by throwing shells up this way. Until yesterday they all fell short, and we had concluded they had no guns that they could reach us with, but yesterday evening they proved to us that they could throw their shells as far as they wanted to. 4 of our Boats were laying at the upper landing just above and near our Battery. I had carried the Co. out to do a little work in the battery, when they commenced at the Boats. The first shell fell just in front of our battery. I told the boys that was an accidental shot, that they could not do so well again, when here came another that passed just over our heads, struck the Ground and exploded about 100 yards above us. I was not satisfied yet, the next one exploded nearly over us. I then told the boys to get in the Ditch tho' they did not need much telling. They continued sending them over us for about an hour. The Boats left as soon as possible. When they changed the direction and turned towards our Camp, one shell went over my Tent and struck the ground about 20 yards back. They only threw a few at the Camp and quit for the day. The shell that fell back of our tent we dug out. It went slanting into the ground 12 ft. and 6 ft. deep. It is 16 in. long and 6 ½ in. in diameter. One fell back of our Camp that did not explode that was 20 in. long and 8 in. diameter and weighed 153 lbs. The dirt from one of these yesterday knocked a man and a mule down but hurt neither. I expect they will disturb our rest here now all the Spring unless we take our guns down on a bluff near them and drive them off. If we had the guns to spare I think we would try it. It would be a hazardous undertaking, but I believe we could do it. Genl. Smith (the Chief of heavy Artillery) asked me yesterday how I would like to go. I told him first rate, but he told me this morning he did not think he could do it for he did not have the guns to spare, and since I have thought more about it I don't believe I am anxious anyway. Some of the boys came to me last night and said they were not very anxious to go but if the Capt. and I would go they were with us, that they would board the Cisero[2] with the Capt. if he said so. They think everything of him and I believe most of them would follow him anywhere if they knew two thirds of them would be killed. We have got some that I don't believe know what fear is. So far as I am concerned I had much rather they would keep their Iron and lead on their own side of the house. I think they are very extravagant in throwing so much away. They will want it for some other use after a while, and then they might hurt some one after a while if they keep on with this foolishness. It was certainly their intention to attack us by land, but they have gone back and I don't believe they will attack us soon. They were badly whipped the other night. The scoundrels burnt a fine dwelling house on the other side of the River last Tuesday. I did want to fire at them bad but Genl. Smith would not let us. We will get even with them after a while. Lt. Jackson, the one that married Miss Lucy Young, came here last[3]

[1] The Union ship, Mississippi, was destroyed in the battle, blowing up in an explosion that was felt at Port Hudson twenty miles away. During the battle, Company K fired their one gun 32 times. Lieut. Pratt, had immediate charge of the gun with Sergeants Ellis and Royals as the gunners and William H. Fay as the ordnance sergeant.

[2] Transcribed as written

[3] End of fragment